Vigil: Codex and Supplemental Information
by Peptuck
Summary: Supplemental information for the Vigil Mass Effect/XCOM/Eclipse Phase/FEAR/Destiny crossover setting. Arranged by topic. Will be updated as new information becomes available in the main storyline.
1. Codex Part One: Technology

**Author's Note** : This "Story" contains a rather extensive collection of Codex entries for my Vigil crossover setting (as you've likely already deduced by now). I've stated removing the Codex entries from Vigil itself to this to keep things relatively neat. As new topics come up in the Vigil storyline, I'll update this collection of supplemental data. Enjoy!

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 _ **Codex: Technology/Psionics/Weapons and Armor/Ships and Vehicles**_

 **Technology: MELD**

MELD is an advanced form nanotechnology designed to quickly, comprehensively, and safely alter organic bodies with new genetic traits or cybernetic implants. Canisters of these nanomachines, held in a liquid suspension, were recovered from Ethereal spacecraft and ground units over the course of the Ethereal War. The Ethereals are believed to use MELD extensively in modifying and "shaping" their servants into their current forms. The extreme versatility of MELD in altering organic bodies led to the development of both genetic modifications to integrate alien capabilities into soldiers' genomes and cybernetic augmentations that enabled troopers to operate MECs.

Study of MELD and its effects has led to the development of many cybernetic and genetic augmentations across the human species. Most human bodies are now "cleaned" of genetic diseases and can be modified for specific traits before birth, and small-scale cybernetics are commonplace. A wide range of specialized bodies, or "morphs," with specific genetic traits or augmentations are commonly used for work or recreation in a variety of environments.

While MELD's effects can be understood and the nanomachines utilized, replication of MELD has proven elusive. The complexity and power sources for the nanomachines have thus far been impossible to replicate, although study of their effects have led to less-efficient nanotech analogues being developed since the Ethereal War. A small but significant strategic supply of recovered MELD is maintained for research and experimentation purposes, under XCOM guard and administration.

 **Technology: MEC**

The MEC (Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuit) is a modular humanoid heavy weapons platform designed to provide the firepower and durability of an armored fighting vehicle and the flexibility and mobility of an infantryman. The original designs were devised by XCOM during the Ethereal War as support platforms for fast-response troops. While the technology to build the exoskeleton was available, and prototype rigs were devised early on in the war, the necessary fine control over the suit to make it viable alongside infantry was a hurdle that was more difficult to surmount. Any pilot would require a direct neural link to the MEC suit to operate it as effectively as a human body, something that would only be possible with extremely experimental, costly, lengthy, and dangerous cybernetic modification.

The Ethereal substance known as MELD provided the key, enabling swift and safe modifications of volunteer troopers' bodies within days, giving them the capacity to link their limbs and brains directly to the MEC. Donning a MEC required soldiers to have their arms and limbs replaced with cybernetic links at the shoulders and hips to let them directly connect their nervous systems to the suits. This drastic surgery, however, allowed extremely effective control. MEC deployments proved brutally decisive, and the cybersuits became a pivotal component in XCOM operations.

While the supply of MELD has become increasingly more limited since the end of the war nearly two centuries ago, great advances in cybernetic augmentation and surgery have enabled MEC augmentations to become far simpler, and the advent of cortical stacks allow troopers to simply upload themselves into MEC bodies if time permits. Modern MEC designs include an arsenal of weapon designs, as well as extremely powerful kinetic barriers and armor plating. Most MEC units have specialized equipment for particular battlefield roles, such as defensive "Shogun" units with deployable shields, or "Brawler" units with close-quarters weaponry.

Because of their expense and special requirements to operate, MEC platforms are only employed by elite heavy assault or airmobile assault units. Most human militaries prefer to use MAX or REV powered armor for heavy infantry support. The sole exception is XCOM, which continues to field MEC units in substantial numbers relative to their infantry components.

Recently, both the Turian Hierarchy and Salarian Union have begun to field experimental platforms using MEC technology, while certain militias and armament corporations of the Asari Republics have been experimenting with MEC technology to find a means to use them without requiring extensive cybernetic augmentation.

 **Technology: Cortical Stack**

The cortical stack, or simply "stack" for short, is a specialized data storage device that contains a continuously-updated digital copy of a person's memories, personality, and skills - known as an "ego." Backups are updated by nanomachines that constantly map the neurons in the brain; on average a cortical stack will be updated with a new backup over eighty-four thousand times per day. In the event of body-death, a cortical stack can be retrieved from the corpse and the backup uploaded into another brain, a process called "resleeving." The stack is normally implanted around where the spinal column meets the brain stem.

The cortical stack is primarily intended for use as an emergency measure in case of unexpected death. Creation of stored backups (in case of total loss of the body and stack) and controlled resleeving of an ego to a new body typically occurs in special "ego clinics" using devices called "ego bridges." The user lies back in a chair and rests their head in the bridge, which unfolds and molds itself around their head. Mapping nanobots similar to those used by a cortical stack scan the brain and make a digital copy which is then transferred to the target body, where more nanomachines alter the neural structure to match the previous body's. Creating a backup typically takes no more than ten minutes, which sleeving into a new body altogether can take an hour or more.

An individual resleeving often experiences "continuity stress," the disassociation between their previous body and the new one. This stress can be greatly increased by a faulty or prolonged resleeving process or - in the case of body-death - remembering one's own demise. Many people have difficulty with becoming accustomed to their bodies, particularly if it greatly differs from their original.

The technology to develop the cortical stack was developed in the wake of the Ethereal War through a study of both the advanced computers of the alien invaders and the highly-adaptive nanotechnology known as MELD. Despite initial opposition by many groups to the idea of moving egos between bodies, the promise of immortality ultimately led to widespread adoption of the technology by the time humanity encountered the geth and Citadel. Similar designs were used by the turians to transfer egos into Exo bodies and by the salarians as part of their process of consciousness transferal.

 **Technology: Identity Forks**

"Fork" is the common terms for replicated egos that are copied into another body while the original remains active. The advent of copiable and rewritable organic and synthetic brains meant that a person could easily copy their ego to another body, assuming they could afford the other body in the first place. Forks are typically used in dangerous professions or for high-intensity multitasking, such as sending a copy of oneself to perform an errand and then return. The ego of a fork can be merged back into the original with no disassociation or complication if done so within a few hours of being created. Afterward, the differing experiences between the two egos begins to cause subtle but noticeable disassociation or "continuity stress." The greater the length of time between the fork and the original reintegrating, the more traumatic the process will become. After a certain point in time - usually more than a week - the two egos will have become such distinctly different individuals that merging can cause severe memory loss or trauma, and beyond two or more weeks the merging process can cause extreme mental disorders, including split personality disorder.

Forks are divided into three grades. Alpha forks are exact copies of the original's ego, with all of their skills and memories and personality. Beta forks typically have particular skills, personality elements, and memories, usually edited to remove sensitive data and specialized for a particular task. Delta forks are severely mentally-handicapped compared to the original ego; they are typically created either for specific, short-term tasks. They are often compared to virtual intelligences with personality imprints of the original ego, rather than fully functional individuals. A fourth type, gamma forks, are severely damaged or incomplete egos, most often the result of a faulty attempt to copy an ego or brain damage.

Legally, forks are considered a complex issue and are handled very differently depending on the jurisdiction. In some more conservative areas, some (or even all) fork variants are banned. In more permissible jurisdictions, actions taken by alpha and beta forks can be held accountable to the original ego as well, if done within a short time after splitting off. Actions taken later, once the personalities begin to diverge, can also be held accountable, but to a lesser degree. Alpha and beta forks that have existed long enough that they are significantly different from their original ego can even be considered different individuals in legal terms, depending on jurisdiction. Stored and inactive forks are considered property that can be deleted so long as they have not been active long enough to be legally divergent from the original.

Citadel law, interestingly, is more uniformly liberal than many human polities regarding forks. Alpha, beta, and delta forks are all legal in most of Citadel space. After more than two weeks without merging, or if a brain scan shows dramatic difference between the two egos, an alpha fork is considered a separate individual from the original and is afforded all of the same rights. Many alpha forks have successfully lobbied for and received asylum in Citadel space as a result.

In addition, the Geth Consensus considers all forks separate individuals from the moment they split off. Many forks that do not desire reintegration have sought asylum among the geth, although living among the geth brings about its own unique set of complications.

 **Technology: Ghostrider Module**

Ghostrider modules are portable storage units capable of running an ego on local hardware or wetware. Effectively, they are cortical stacks that can be attached to the sensory systems and hardware of another body or synthetic. Ghostriders are typically slotted into cybernetic attachments or in protected compartments of a hardsuit or clothing. Some ghostriders are given full access to their host's onboard systems, while others are only allowed access to sensory input or local mesh and cyberware communications to talk with their host. In rare cases, egos sleeved into ghostriders can completely override their host's bodies or systems and take full control.

 **Technology: Morphs**

"Morph" is the common term for human bodies that have been genetically modified from birth. The majority of human bodies have undergone "genefixing" processes, where the genome has been screened for hereditary diseases and had been optimized for a healthy lifespan. Many humans continue to use these baseline "spliced" bodies and apply custom genetic or cybernetic augmentations. Others are born into or sleeve into more unusual or specialized bodies.

"Menton" morphs are modified to possess greatly improved mental capacity. "Olympian" morphs with greatly improved athletic capabilities such as endurance, coordination, and cardiovascular and muscular functions. "Sylph" morphs are optimized for social situations, being modified with unusually attractive features, elimination of unpleasant body odors, and adjustment of pheromones (with specific gene-mod packages to target particular species). "Bouncers" are optimized for zero-gravity environments, with limber legs, prehensile feet, and often additional limbs for grasping.

There are also more specialized morphs, which bear little resemblance to normal human body structures, often designed for survival in extreme or inhospitable environments. A common example of this type is the "surya" morph, a massive, radiation-resistant body that closely resembles a winged whale and is designed to live and fly in dangerous environments like the upper cloud layers of gas giants or a solar magnetosphere.

Military forces, by necessity, are largely made up of normal genefixed humans, but elite formations use specialized military morphs. "Ghost" morphs are built for agility, stealth, and speed, while "fury" morphs are optimized for strength, endurance, aggressiveness, and cunning. Most military morphs use improved variants on the original genetic modifications developed from Ethereal forces, pioneered by XCOM nearly two centuries previously. Rumors of new genetic modifications taken from the various Citadel and other alien species abound.

 **Technology: Uplifts**

Uplifts are animals that have been granted increased intelligence by genetic and physical modification, often making them comparable to humans, as well as granting them the physical capacity to converse with and become part of human society. In modern society, uplifts are relatively common sights, although some species are much rarer than others. The majority of uplifts are descendants of animals that already possessed substantial intelligence: primates, avians, cetaceans, suidae, pachyderms, and octopi are the most commonly-encountered variants. More recent developments have allowed other types of uplifts, including ursine, feline, lupine, and mustelidae uplifts.

Much of the uplifting process involves not simply increasing cognitive capacity but modifying natural instincts and social structures to enable the uplift to properly survive in human society. In addition, most uplift bodies had to be significantly altered to allow them to function in human society, particularly with regards to giving them manipulators. Most uplift bodies are so significantly removed from the original species that they are designated a completely new species.

Uplifts previously faced severe legal restrictions when they were first developed in the 21st century, following the Ethereal War. Initial uplifts were considered property of the corporations and governments that created them, while social movements and aggressive lobbying by human and uplift-rights organizations eventually earned most uplifts their freedom. Even after gaining rights and recognition in many jurisdictions, uplifts faced issues with the genetic coding and structures used to create them being patented by their parent corporations, rendering them legally unable to reproduce without the corporation's permission. After significant lobbying and legal battles, including surprisingly intense pressure from Citadel interest groups in the 22nd century, the majority of uplift gene-coding was released and uplifts are now legally able to reproduce.

Some jurisdictions still pass restrictive laws on uplift creation, particularly the Jovian Republics, and uplifts are often restricted or banned from more bio-conservative colonies and habitats. By contrast, the Citadel has broadly extended legal protections and asylum to uplifts. In addition, the various Citadel species have also been experimenting with the uplifting process, particularly with varren, although without MELD-derived gene-modification these experiments proved significantly more challenging prior to contact with humanity.

 **Technology: Puppet Sock**

Originally developed as a device to control a criminal population in maximum security prisons, puppet socks are neural implants that allow an authorized "puppeteer" to remotely control an organic's body, either through an uploaded mind or fork in a ghostrider module or remote control via radio, mesh, laser, or other communication device. humane" variants of puppet sock technology automatically render their "puppet" unconscious when activated, allowing the remote operator to move their puppet to a secure location. Cheaper or simply more cruel puppet socks allow their puppets full sensory input while the puppeteer controls their bodies.

Puppet sock technology is tightly regulated in Citadel space, and only authorized agencies are allowed to use them. Extensive paperwork and very strict medical examination is required before the device can be installed, and they are rarely implanted in fully self-aware beings outside of prisons except in specific cases such as individuals with uncontrollable mental ailments that could render them a danger to themselves or their surroundings. Organic weapons systems such as Replica soldiers are also outfitted with puppet socks to allow them to be remote controlled by a central commander in situations where normal control methods such as voice operation are unavailable.

 **Technology: Wormholes**

Wormholes are point-to-point gateways between two locations in space, opened through the use of either psionic humans with Spatial talent, or through the use of Durand-Vahlen Spatial Transition drives with a psychic operator. Opening a wormhole requires targeting both points and linking them together using psionic energy. Because objects in space are always in motion, precise targeting data is necessary to open wormholes with any accuracy at beyond light-second ranges. This is typically achieved using either drones transmitting through local comm buoys or with hyperwave scanners.

Wormholes end to be short-lived and unstable, requiring great concentration from the psionic operating them. In addition, opening wormholes within the gravity well of a planet is extremely difficult, due to the interference from atmosphere, gravity, and the magnetosphere. Moving from an orbital environment to a gravity well is often violently destructive. Spatial psionics are capable of generating point-to-point wormholes in-atmosphere, but these points need to be "anchored" to physical objects, with the most common targets being walls. Recent developments of man-portable DV "phase" systems by Armacham Technology Corporation resulted in more stable, long-lived wormholes, and have seen employment both in combat and emergency-rescue scenarios.

Ethereal use of wormholes appears to be significantly more sophisticated than current human understanding. The Temple Ship was able to easily transition into Earth's atmosphere with no ill effects beyond causing major gravitic distortions, and intraship teleportation with wormholes was observed by XCOM troops boarding the Temple Ship. It is also theorized that wormhole generation was the means by which the Ethereals were able to easily move their craft into Earth's atmosphere without being detected by satellites or ground sensors. Little of the technology that the Ethereals used for these operations was recovered, leading to mostly speculation on their methods.

 **Technology: Wormhole Arrays**

Wormhole arrays are specialized Durand-Vahlen Spatial Transition drives built in conjunction with mass relays, designed to allow movement between secondary relays that normally cannot connect. The array takes the form of a latticework surrounding the "launch" end of a mass relay, with several DV drives operating in conjunction. The lattice is sufficiently far enough from the relay that ships transitioning normally will have already entered the normal mass-free corridor that forms between the relays before it would otherwise hit the lattice.

When the array is in use, it will generate a specially-calibrated wormhole that opens between the entry point and the target relay, which will have its own lattice. When a ship approaches the relay and transmits its mass and destination, it will do the same to the wormhole array, transmitting its actual destination. Upon the relay's normal activation, the wormhole opens, "catching" the outgoing ship and the mass-free corridor it is using and redirecting it to the target relay. The target does not need to have an active or even intact array to receive the transitioning ship, but the vessel will be stranded at the destination without another array, unless it takes other relays to return to its launch point.

There are relatively few working links between different relays, as experimentation with probes often ends up sending them into deep space. If a link between two relays is successful, a construction ship is sent through to the target relay to build a new array. Transitions through wormhole arrays can be mentally disturbing and often cause feelings of nausea and discomfort. In addition, there is a size limitation to the ships that can be sent through; any ship larger than the wormhole created by the array will be shorn apart, with the portions not fitting into the wormhole being sent to the relay's original destination.

Armacham Technology Corporation maintains the rights to the proprietary technology used in the wormhole arrays, although the designs are accessible to government agencies, particularly XCOM, which requires a PsiCorps presence on each lattice because of their use of psionics.

 **Technology: Mesh**

The "mesh" is the current outgrowth of the former internet, a massive decentralized array of wireless electronic devices, radio transmitters, and sensor networks, all in constant communication. The vast majority of the transmitters and network connections are so unobtrusive that they are typically built into any device or object that could conceivably need to communicate, resulting in an endless array of thousands or millions of nodes. Once an individual has entered a habitat or colony, they are usually automatically connected to the mesh and everyone in the immediate area.

Meshes are difficult to lock down or disable, because of their decentralized nature. Individuals moving through an environment with a mesh system are easily trackable without particular security countermeasures to hide their presence. Infomorphs and virtual/artificial intelligences can easily track all movement within a mesh system and maintain constant communications.

The mesh is used not only to maintain constant contact with local networks but also for emergency and security reasons; if there is a danger, nearly everyone in the environment is made instantly aware via emergency alerts. However, despite the mesh's prevalence, basic security procedure is typically observed. Critical electronic systems such as weapons, life support, and power controls are isolated completely from the mesh and require physical access.

 **Technology: Vahlenite Composite Alloy**

The composite alloy used in all Ethereal manufacturing, "vahlenite" - named after XCOM's lead researcher during the Ethereal War - is an exceptionally light and durable metal with exceptional tensile strength. Manufacturing this alloy only became possible after many years of reverse-engineering. Craft and armor constructed from this alloy typically remained intact even after severely damaging collisions or bombardment.

Compared with alloys produced by Citadel metallurgy, vahlenite is only marginally stronger and more durable. However, it possesses uniquely effective heat-absorption capabilities and a tremendously high melting point, rendering it particularly effective against thermal-based weapons systems such as plasma or lasers. Geth-derived vahlenite proved even more resistant to heat, and when used in conjunction with kinetic barriers, rendered warships virtually immune to plasma weaponry and made surface-based units exceptionally durable against plasma bombardment.

Vahlenite projectiles, used in alloy penetrators and mass accelerators, have become increasingly popular in armor-piercing ammunition due to their ability to penetrate armor and synthetic bodies without deforming.

Vahlenite is in high demand for any materials or equipment that will be exposed to high temperatures. Reactor and heat shielding, starship construction, and specialized equipment operating on high-temperature or high-pressure environments are common applications for vahlenite alloys. Vahlenite is notably more expensive to use compared with more established and cheaper Citadel-developed alloys and composites.

 **Technology: Gollop Device**

The Gollop Device, or "Psi-Link" was a device used to tap into the psionic communications network used by the Ethereals. Using the Gollop Device enabled Colonel Annette Durand to directly link her mind into the alien network, simultaneously allowing her to converse with the leader of the Ethereals attacking Earth and amplify her own powers. This has come to be referred to as a "Synchronicity Event."

The original device remains under secure lockdown by XCOM, and attempts to build copies to tap into the alien communications have been largely unsuccessful. Rumors persist that variations have been built that amplify natural psionic abilities - similar to what occurred when Colonel Durand tapped into the Ethereals' collective network. However, should such devices exist, they are likely a severe security risk, as any such device would have the potential to communicate with the Ethereals.

Another persistent theory, based largely on Durand's own accounts after using the device, is that the Gollop machine allows communication with psionic entities beyond the Ethereals. As no one else has been able to tap into the network with a working device since then, this theory remains untested.

 **Technology: Replica**

Replica are vat-grown clones designed to serve as disposable shock troops, developed by Armacham Technology Corporation. Replica are given extensive military training, both during their six month growth cycle and for two years after being "born" before they are officially released on the market. A typical Replica soldier is capable in nearly all light infantry roles, and specialized units are trained as REV/MAX operators, pilots, reconnaissance, and other roles. When not engaged in combat operations, Replica are usually stored in stasis pods that automatically maintain nutrition and other bodily maintenance. The average Replica's lifespan is ten to twenty years, depending on version number, although actual life expectancy is far lower.

Replica have specially-edited personalities that are focused entirely on combat and military matters. While Replica are allowed great flexibility in completing objectives, they are not mentally capable of disobeying orders. For this reason, they are ill-suited for occupation or peacekeeping operations, and Armacham has received some media flak due to several instances of clients using Replica soldiers to commit war crimes that normal troops would balk at.

Most Replica versions are based around particular individuals' experiences and skills, although severely edited to keep them compliant. While they have been observed to express fear, anger, or disbelief, Replica almost always maintain discipline and typically do not break or retreat in combat unless ordered, even when facing overwhelming force.

Replica soldiers are normally voice-controlled from designated "officers" which are usually other Relica who have been assigned command duties. The universal training of Replica units and preset chains of command allow for immediate and smooth transitions between commanding officers to adapt to changing battlefield conditions. Experiments to create Replica that communicate electronically or even with psionics have occurred, with the Strategic Defense Coalition particularly interested with the possibility of a psionic commander able to control Replica forces on a continental or global scale.

Because of their low cost, flexible skillsets, lack of moral compunctions, and high discipline, Replica soldiers are in high demand. The most frequent purchasers of Replica units are Terminus warlords and mercenary groups that require disposable shock troops. Another large purchaser is the New Conglomerate Security Command, which has more than twenty percent of its naval and ground combat elements made up of Replica units.

 **Technology: Hyperwave**

Hyperwaves are a transdimensional communication and sensory wavelength that operates in a similar manner to wormholes. Ethereal ships rely heavily on hyperwaves for communications, and most modern human warships mount a hyperwave communicator, as well as a hyperwave scanning system that allows for remote FTL observation of a limited area within a star system. Despite their range, hyperwaves are limited in the area that they can cover; passive and active conventional scanners can observe an entire star system at once, but are limited to lightspeed signals. Unlike many Ethereal technologies, however, hyperwaves do not require a psionic operator to use, and as such are becoming very common in Citadel and Terminus space.

Despite the near-instantaneous speed of propagation, hyperwave communication has a limited effective range; a transmitter typically can send a message anywhere within a star system but not beyond. For this reason, intersystem communications still remain dependent on comm buoys. Warships typically use hyperwaves to coordinate tactical fleet movements within a system.

Hyperwave transmissions are still limited by current bandwidth. While able to instantly send signals across a star system, large data packets still require time to download or upload.

Hyperwaves have difficulty observing into a planet's magnetic field unless they are already stationed on the planet itself. Thus, they can observe fleets in orbit from the edge of a system, but cannot accurately see what is inside a planet's atmosphere.

 **Technology: Elerium**

Elerium is a psionically-generated material that releases enormous amounts of energy when bombarded by accelerated particles. Elerium proved to be a vital component in Ethereal technology, providing their craft and weapons with the enormous amount of energy needed to keep them operational. Subsequent research and development into the element showed that it was not naturally occurring, requiring concentrated effort by an Energy psionic on a specific composition of elements to slowly convert it into elerium.

While elerium produces enormous amounts of energy, it has a significant half-life when it is being bombarded, causing existing stocks to constantly fade without constant replenishment. As a result, elerium is typically relegated to high-priority facilities, crucial research projects, and elite military units that require the sheer power it yields. The advent of helium-3 as a stable fuel source in fusion reactors led to it being adopted as the primary fuel source for the majority of humanity.

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 **Psionics**

An ability identified in the human (and later, asari) species to alter their environment or their own physical bodies using an as-yet-unidentified power source, referred to among humans as "the Gift." Psionics is a natural component of the asari, coupled with their biotics, but manifests in various degrees in humans. Psychic power - technically referred to in research documentation as "telesthetic capability" - requires a great deal of concentration from the user to generate active effects, although some effects, such as empathic detection of thoughts and emotions, can occur passively.

Psychic power is directly tied to the Gifted individual's nervous system. When their abilities are activated, increased electrical activity occurs throughout the body, and psychic energy flows through the nervous systems, particularly along the spinal column and through the brain. It is theorized that the element zero nodules that form in biotics' bodies somehow interfere with this function. To date, no children who have survived prenatal exposure to element zero have ever developed psychic ability, even those who are directly descended from psychics.

Asari use psionics in conjunction with biotics for finely-tuned manipulation of dark energy fields and gravity. In addition, psionics are integral to the "melding" process that allows for connections of nervous systems and asari reproduction. The revelation of psionics as a component of their biology has caused significant social and individual consternation among the asari, but has not fundamentally altered their society. Most asari treat the revelation to simply be a discovery of and enrichment of their own powers.

Most psionic talents and disciplines are naturally born, but can raise their capacity through continuous training. High-stress situations such as combat or disasters can trigger "amplification events" that dramatically boost psionic power. Many children manifesting psionic abilities can have a "nova event," which is an uncontrolled amplification event that can cause significant destruction. This is one of the reasons why XCOM's PsiCorps insists that children undergo regular screening for the Gift and why any child manifesting psychic ability is required to be registered and taken for training immediately.

 **Psionics: Classifications**

Human psionics are divided into five broad "disciplines."

 **Energy** involves the manipulation of thermal, electromagnetic, or kinetic energy in the surrounding environment. Most commonly this takes the form of telekinesis, including manipulating objects or creating defensive barriers.

 **Internal** uses psionic energy to enhance the physical body, altering aspects such as strength, speed, mental capacity, reaction times, and healing rate. Stronger psychics capable of this discipline are able to achieve superhuman feats of strength or speed.

 **Mental** involves the use of psionics to strengthen or affect the minds of others, as well as detecting other minds or resisting external mental influence. Subsets of this discipline involve telepathic communications and detecting movement or changes in the nearby environment.

 **Spatial** involves control of the locations and spatial relations of objects, allowing for one to create gateways between objects, wormholes in zero gravity environments, or short-range teleportation.

 **Manifestation** involves use of psionics to generate physical or insubstantial projections of objects, creatures or entire environments.

Psionic disciplines are identified using a complex ranking system to identify individual disciplines, subdivisions, and power levels within each division. This has been reduced to a common shorthand of Discipline: Numerical Ranking, followed by (Subdivisions: Numerical Rankings). For example, Energy 4 (Thermal 5, Kinetic 3).

Psychic individuals as a whole are ranked by a tier system, running from D-tier (the lowest, with barely above-baseline human capacity) to A-tier (highest-tier, generally having the capacity to cause widespread destruction). A-tier psychics are exceedingly rare, with less than a dozen having ever been recorded in human history. The vast majority of human psychics are D and C-tiers.

 **Psionics: Life as a Psionic**

Psionics, like biotics, wield great power but also face a number of inconveniences. Much like biotics, Gifted individuals consume greater amounts of calories while using their powers and develop consequently ravenous appetites. The typical combat ration for a human soldier is around three thousand calories (up to four thousand for olympian, ghost, or fury morphs), while both biotics and psionics receive roughly five thousand calorie rations. In addition, most carry energy drinks in case they need to quickly restore lost calories in action.

Psychics sometimes experience feedback from others in proximity. Strong or uncontrolled Empath effects can generate unexpected hallucinations. Particularly strong psychics can intentionally or unintentionally generate shared "mindspace" hallucinations with another who bears the Gift. Very strong psychics can sometimes affect Gifted on the other side of planets or in orbit.

Because of the danger of their abilities running haywire, most Gifted wear emergency psi-shielding to mitigate uncontrolled effects. In rare cases, psychic abilities can cause interference with element zero cores. As a result, Gifted must be careful when using craft and machines that run on element zero, and usually try to stay away from active mass effect cores that are not equipped with psi-shielding.

 **Psionics: Society**

Psychic abilities, particularly Empaths' ability to read emotions and surface thoughts, has led to mistrust and suspicion in many humans. Popular misconceptions about biotics having similar abilities has resulted in the same distrust bleeding over onto biotics as well. People who are religiously, philosophically, or ethically opposed to cybernetic and genetic modification view psychics and biotics as symbolic of the dangerous directions that they believe humanity is heading toward. In certain bioconservative colonies or habitats, particularly in the Jovian Republics, both biotics and psionics are only permitted entry with an armed escort.

Fear and suspicion toward psychics are only amplified by the tendency for psychic abilities to violently manifest in children. Children are usually tested once a year until they reach adulthood to determine if they have the Gift, and children that show positive for psychic ability are taken in for training and education by XCOM's Psionic Corps. Many parents skip the testing process out of mistrust, misunderstanding, or fear, and other colonies simply do not have the facilities to regularly test all children. In addition, unexpected manifestations can occur, especially in high-stress situations. The fact these events are usually followed by XCOM PsiCorps teams' arrival tends to exacerbate the mistrust.

Mistrust and fear of psychics also exists among aliens, and in many places is just as intense as it is among human bioconservatives, particularly among the turians (who also extend their mistrust and suspicion to biotics as well). Psychics outside of human space, particularly B and A-tiers, are often offered (or in the case of military psychics, required to have) an armed escort, and are usually followed by discreet surveillance teams to keep them safe. On the Citadel, psychics receive an additional C-Sec escort, and local governments on colonies will often provide a protective detail.

Despite social stigma from bioconservative circles, psionics are highly valued for the utility of their powers. Police, emergency rescue, and military forces offer enormous incentives for psychics to work for them, and PsiCorps works diligently to train them for both civilian and military career paths.

Due in part to the social stigma that both face, psionics tend to find common cause and friendship with biotics. Many human psychics find themselves gravitating toward asari colonies and habitats, as the asari are much more tolerant of both other species and fellow biotics and psychics. A not-insignificant number of psychics have also found their way into geth territory.

 **Psionics: Psi-Shielding**

Fundamental defensive devices against psionic attack were developed late in the Ethereal War using cybernetic implants recovered from Ethereal bodies. These implants were determined to generate a particular low-powered signal that interfered with incoming psionic energy, effectively forming a sort of "white noise" that disrupted psychic power. Properly attuned to their wearer, these devices could protect against enemy psychic attack while allowing the wearer to project their own power.

Initially incorporated in "mind-shields" that protected XCOM soldiers from psychic attack, these shielding devices became more widely used for containing psionic criminals or psychics with uncontrolled abilities, such as children whose powers recently manifested. Properly constructed and supplied with power, large psionic shielding systems could potentially contain even an uncontrolled A-tier psionic or an Ethereal.

A modern outgrowth of psi-shielding is the "psi-weave," a thin layer of shielding woven into clothing, hats, and uniforms to interfere with external attack (assuming one is paranoid or wealthy enough to pay the price). Thicker and more powerful psi-weave is worked into specialized armor or full-body cloaks or coats. These "psi-cloaks" are common issue among XCOM Sentinels or other law enforcement who expect to face psychics, and are coupled with shielding in armor and helmets to give them a decisive edge when confronting psionic criminals.

 **Psionics: Nova and Amplification**

Improperly trained or inexperienced psychics have difficulty controlling their powers. Many psychics have described their powers "running away" and being unable to stop the energy they have access to, particularly in high-stress situations. These are colloquially referred to as "nova" events. Psychics who "go nova" are often either children whose abilities manifest unexpectedly, or inexperienced psychics who are still learning to control their powers. Nova events tend to be extremely violent, particularly if the psychic has Energy, Spatial, or Manifestation capabilities.

More uncommonly, trained psychics may experience nova events if their are channeling too much power, especially in dangerous scenarios such as combat or ongoing disasters. Unlike inexperienced individuals, however, a properly trained psychic can at least partially control the explosive discharge of energy, directing it safely away from bystanders and allies, or in rare cases even directing it at an enemy.

Amplification events are similar to nova events, but involve an abrupt and unexpected increase in the ability to channel energy. Most often these events are accidental, such as when a psychic is controlling a great deal of energy in difficult or stressful circumstances. Because of the abrupt increase of power, amplification events can lead to a psychic going nova.

Because amplification events can greatly increase their power, some weaker psychics deliberately attempt to invoke them through aggressive training, channelling power, and putting themselves in life-or-death situations - which often result in injury or death. Only one known instance of deliberate amplification is known: Colonel Annette Durand's interfacing with an Ethereal-built Gollop device. Other attempts to force amplification through deliberate stress and exposure to danger have largely resulted in failure, although it is theorized that if a psychic were to interface with another Gollop device, they would become much more powerful.

* * *

 **Weapons and Armor**

 **Weapons: Plasma Weaponry**

Plasma armaments expose gases to an extremely strong electromagnetic field via lasers, which results in a positive or negative electrically-charged plasma. These high-energy plasmas are then propelled by shaped electromagnetic fields at a target, transferring intense thermal energy to the target. The beams or bolts are often hot enough to char or incinerate exposed flesh and melt or vaporize many inorganic materials.

Energy requirements to generate and shape the plasma are enormous; Ethereal-derived plasma armaments require elerium cells to manage the energy requirements, while turian-designed fusion rifles use sealed hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. The energy requirements make such weaponry prohibitively expensive, and the raw price renders them unfeasible for arming large numbers of soldiers.

Despite their raw destructive power, plasma weapons have certain limitations. Contrary to popular belief, plasma armaments are not directed energy weapons like lasers. The charged atoms possess mass and therefore can be deflected by kinetic barriers. The low mass and kinetic energy of plasma means that even relatively weak kinetic barriers such as atmospheric containment systems can stop plasma fire. However, the heat from the plasma will continue ti bleed through the barriers, especially within an atmosphere.

The lack of specialized ammunition makes them inflexible, particularly against targets specifically hardened against plasma. Targets defended by heat-resistant vahlenite plating and kinetic barriers can withstand significant plasma bombardment, with the kinetic barriers halting the charged high-energy atoms and the vahlenite absorbing the radiating heat. as a result, plasma weaponry are largely ineffective in space combat so long as shields remain intact, although once shields are disabled plasma can swiftly destroy the target.

 **Weapons: Alloy Penetrator**

Initially developed toward the end of the Ethereal War, alloy cannons were designed to launch spikes of vahlenite in tightly-grouped packs akin to shotgun pellets. Many initial designs proved ineffective because the alloy projectiles would destroy the barrels of the weapons while firing. Because of the extreme durability of the vahlenite projectiles and high energy availability of elerium power cells, the projectiles could be fired at extreme velocities, allowing them to penetrate nearly any known infantry-scale armor at the time. Upper-end velocities could potentially penetrate tank armor with sheer kinetic energy without seriously deforming, although recoil rendered such weapons unfeasible even for augmented humans.

Modern alloy penetrators use a single long vahlenite projectile, with mass effect fields to accelerate the spike to extreme speeds. The majority of the weapon's bulk is used house recoil-absorption systems and the power generators to accelerate the projectile. Even at low power, such weapons impact hard enough to pierce most modern infantry armor. Higher power settings can launch a humanoid target and pin them to nearby objects. At maximum power the weapon can mission-kill infantry fighting vehicles, heavy mechs, and MEC units, although these settings demand substantial augmentations, a synthetic body, or a particularly large and durable uplift with powered armor to use without pulverizing limbs.

 **Weapons: Lasers**

XCOM-derived laser weapons remain one of the most commonly-employed weapons in the galaxy, due to their ability to completely ignore kinetic barriers. Prior to the study of Ethereal power systems, man-portable laser weapons were largely impractical. Modern laser weapons are commonly-issued among human and Citadel military forces, and are nearly as readily-available as mass accelerators, although more expensive due to requiring much greater power to operate..

While lasers are able to bypass kinetic barriers, most modern armors have been adapted to compensate. Vahlenite plating, reflective coating, and ablative armor systems are common defenses. It is not uncommon for military personnel to carry both laser and kinetic weapons, usually having one as an underbarrel mount, to deal with particular defenses.

The Citadel was extremely quick to adapt human laser technology into their GARDIAN systems. As a result, the effective range of GARDIAN point defense has increased by an order of magnitude.

 **Weapons: Particle Cannon**

Particle accelerator weapons accelerate atomic particles at extremely high speeds at a target. Much like plasma weaponry, particle beams are shaped by electromagnetic fields, and electrostatic "lenses" are used to focus the beam for destructive effect. Particle cannons proved to be highly effective in the Ethereal War, but were so large and heavy that they required MEC units to operate, and were exceedingly expensive; a single MEC particle cannon could cost more than an entire Raven jet interceptor and its associated maintenance costs for a full year.

Modern particle cannons are less expensive but are still special-issue equipment due to prohibitive costs, requiring sizeable amounts of elerium to power them. Experiments with starship-scale particle weapons have shown great promise, but power generation systems necessary to make them effective have not yet been developed without increasing ship tonnage to an unfeasible degree. As one engineer explained, "You can have a warship, or a particle cannon with engines."

Like plasma weaponry, the beam fired by a particle cannon uses charged atoms, which possess mass, and are therefore affected by kinetic barriers. Because of the extreme speed and charged nature of the particles, at least some of the beam will be able to penetrate the kinetic barrier, although with greatly reduced energy. A well-placed particle beam can mission-kill an enemy soldier, mech, or vehicle if aimed at a vulnerable point.

 **Weapons: High-frequency Blade**

High-frequency blades (or "HF" for short) are weapons that use high-powered alternating currents that cause the weapon to resonate at extremely high frequencies. Materials struck by the weapon while it is active experience a disruption in molecular bonds similar to being subjected to a biotic warping field. This allows an HF blade to cut through armor and machinery that would be totally immune to conventional melee armaments. In the hands of an augmented human, synthetic, or combat morph, an HF weapon can slice through even tank-grade armor plating. Because of the molecule-disrupting nature of the blade, simply making contact with the edge while the weapon is active can cause serious damage. The alternating current generates a visible "sparking" electrical effect that makes the weapon's nature obvious once activated.

HF weapons have some limitations. Beyond the obvious - that the user must be in extreme close range - if the blade makes contact with another object with similar alternating currents, the two will cancel each other out briefly. Explosive reactive armor can also detonate to repel the blade before it can slice into vital systems or flesh. The Foucault-current effect generated by "fortification" armor modules can also resist the edge of an HF blade more effectively than standard armor. The warping effects from tech armor shields also detonate when they come into contact with the alternate current of the blade. Finally, hardened kinetic barriers programmed to repel all matter, such as omnitool shields or geth "hex-shields," completely ignore the molecule-disrupting effect of the blade, although they still drain power when struck by the blade itself.

Attempts to reduce HF blades' properties down to projectile size have proven difficult. The equipment needed to run the alternating current is too large and expensive to fit into most bullets.

Knife-sized HF blades are a common sidearm for many soldiers. Larger and heavier weapons are often carried by elite units who may face extreme short-range combat such as during structural assaults or boarding actions. They are also common tools among engineering units and emergency rescue personnel due to their ability to cut through obstacles. On worlds or habitats with restrive weapon laws, low-powered, concealable HF weapons often bypass firearms restrictions.

It is rare to see professional military personnel carrying full-length HF weapons due to their bulk. However, as one turian veteran explained, "You see someone with a big HF blade, you pay attention. Either he knows what he's doing, and he's dangerous, or he's a colossal idiot, which makes him _really_ dangerous."

 **Weapons: Fusion Rifle**

Contact with humanity presented the Citadel with a previously-unseen set of technologies, including practical, humanoid-portable energy weaponry. While the Citadel was quick to adopt laser weaponry, they found a significant difficulty in adapting plasma weapons due to their reliance on elerium, a material that could only be produced in limited amounts by human psionics. Asari attempts at mimicking human methods proved ineffective, and existing power generation technology could not produce the enormous energy requirements needed to make man-portable plasma weapons viable.

The Turian Hierarchy, working with human engineers, was able to develop a workaround to the elerium limitation using high-capacity sealed hydrogen power cells. The subsequent system lacked the long-range coherence of an elerium-based plasma weapon, and required half a second to fully charge before firing, but could still produce a large, devastating burst of high-energy plasma that proved even more destructive at short range than an elerium-fueled weapon, and also in a much more compact package.

These "fusion rifles" have proven extremely popular as alternative close-quarters weapons, and have found extensive use alongside alloy-penetrators and shotguns in armories across the galaxy. Despite their limited magazine capacity - usually only able to fire three to five shots before reloading - fusion rifles have become the weapon of choice for soldiers and mercenaries expecting close combat with augmented opponents, synthetics, and krogan.

 **Armor: MAX/REV Powered Armor**

MAX (Mechanical Armored Exoskeleton) suits are an offshoot of MEC technology, adopted by many military forces toward the end of the Ethereal War. MAX units are heavily-armored powered exoskeletons that can mount heavy weapons and provide supporting infantry fire at a greatly reduced cost compared to MECs. The improved armor and weapon capacity comes at a marginal mobility reduction compared to lighter-armored humans in standard carapace or artificial-muscle suits, although this is mitigated by element zero cores to reduce mass and improve movement. Compared with MECs, however, MAXes are smaller, lighter, less agile, and less heavily-armed.

MAX suits have been described as "the Kalashnikov of powered armor" due to their low price and ease of operation. Any soldier trained in the use of a MAX can quickly enter the armor and pilot it without needing to take the time to sleeve into a specialized MEC body, allowing a much larger pool of potential operators. In addition, most MAX designs are robust and simple enough that soldiers can operate them with minimal training, although maintenance requires more specialized skills. The lower price, ease of use, and lack of requirement for specialized bodies and augmentations lead to nearly all modern militaries adopting them for regular use as infantry support weapons.

In more recent times, REV (Reactive Exoframe Vehicles) have been developed as a middle ground between infantry fighting vehicles, the mobility of a MEC, and the ease of use of a MAX. Heavy suits of armor that fully encase the operator, REV suits handle more like armored vehicles than powered armor. Their size and bulk enable them to mount stronger kinetic barrier generators and comparable weaponry to a MAX, as well as a more sophisticated onboard virtual intelligence system to manage to much more complex operational requirements of the suit. The virtual intelligence also allows a REV operator to move with greater agility compared to a MAX, and operators do not require specialized augmentations or resleeving to operate them.

These benefits come at the cost of much greater expense - a REV platform can cost as much as several MAX suits - as well as reduced utility in difficult terrain due to increased mass. As a result, REV platforms are assigned to specialist combat such as zero-gravity assault teams and airmobile quick-reaction forces which can take advantage of their firepower and heavier armor.

* * *

 **Ships and Vehicles**

 **Ships and Vehicles: Combat Drones**

Drone systems are used extensively by human militaries and civilians. Most military drones are outfitted with cyberbrains that are capable of supporting neuro-modeled artificial intelligences similar to human minds. Drone systems are able to communicate and network with humans to coordinate their actions intelligently. Most drone variants have backups so that their experiences can be recorded and shared in case of the destruction of their current bodies.

Several drone types are based off Ethereal models and synthetic designs. HULU drones are based off Seeker designs, and are optimized for reconnaissance work, using optical camouflage and their ability to fly and maneuver through tight spaces to observe their environment. ODIN drones are based off Cyberdiscs, and are designed to serve as mobile weapon support platforms. FENRIR drones are based off early lupus uplift experiments, with their neuro-artificial intelligence based off stable but non-self-aware uplifted wolves. These drones specialize in recon-in-force and close-range assaults. GRENDEL heavy assault walkers serve as armored tanks in dfficult terrain, with fundamental deisgn elements taken from Sectopod engineering.

Because of the relative durability of their frames and the lack of congitive disassociation they experience upon death, drones are typically used as the "mechanized speartip" of any assault, including "smashdown" orbit-to-surface drop pod assaults.

While drones are non-sapient, they skirt close to full AI status. Some specialized models have been built with advanced neuro-AI cyberbrains that match human intellects. Other experimentation involves integrating geth-style processing-sharing and communication functions to improve in-field performance.

 **Ships and Vehicles: Beowulf IFV**

The Beowulf is a modular XCOM-issue infantry fighting vehicle notable for its ability to quickly adjust loadouts to handle any task - an important design requirement, considering that XCOM can face any kind of threat in nearly any environment.

The standard Beowulf configuration features a fully NBC sealed compartment with room for eight passengers and both a gunner and driver, although these positions can be taken over by infomorphs if needed. In IFV configuration, the Beowulf mounts a standard set of weapons: anti-armor alloy penetrator, rapid-fire laser cannon, and a heavy plasma cannon. Should the situation demand it, the Beowulf may also fit heavier armaments, including a multiple rocket launch system, plasma and kinetic mortars, anti-air missiles or cannons, engineering attachments, or drone refueling and repair systems.

Standard Beowulf models are powered by sealed hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. IFVs assigned to high-priority or high-risk missions may be retrofitted with elerium power cells to boost power and performance.

 **Ships and Vehicles: Fusion Lance**

The fusion lance is a multi-kiloton-scale thermo-kinetic weapon that directs extremely high-powered bursts of energy into a short-ranged beam. The fundamental design consists of an elerium-powered energy core contained within a vahlenite casing that shapes the detonation. The elerium core is exposed to massive particle bombardment, triggering a detonation and energy release on a nuclear scale, which typically annihilates both the missile and the core. The vahlenite casing shapes the resulting blast so that the majority of the energy expands in a cone directed forward before the explosion completely destroys the missile itself. Experiments with use of vahlenite kinetic penetrators propelled by the detonation proved unfeasible, as the penetrators would be warped or melted altogether by the sheer amount of heat.

Because of the raw thermal energy release, fusion lances completely disregard kinetic barriers, and typically burn through vahlenite plating to destroy the ship underneath. However, the effective range of the blast is significantly shorter than that of GARDIAN defenses. Coupled with their extreme expense, fusion lance missiles are rarely used except in later stages of battle when heat buildup has reduced GARDIAN effectiveness enough that commanders are willing to risk the extremely costly munitions.

 **Ships and Vehicles: Starship Weapons and Tactics**

Despite the advent of plasma, laser, and fusion lance weapons in space combat, general tactics have largely remained the same. The kinetic barrier and kinetic weaponry remain the deciding arbiter in the majority of engagements.

At extreme ranges, warships engage with mass accelerators, attempting to target enemy vessels and predict their movements. These engagements typically resemble an artillery duel, especially when dreadnoughts are involved. Drones and manned fighters may be deployed from carriers to harass enemy ships, and long range plasma may be employed in an attempt to increase heat-buildup in target ships to degrade their performance. Cautious commanders attempt to weaken the enemy from range before committing to an assault, while aggressive commanders push cruisers and frigates closer. Frigates and fighters may be sent through wormholes to skirmish with enemy fleet elements or attempt to target strategic assets within the system.

At long ranges, the main guns of cruisers become useful. Friendly interceptors engage enemy fighters until the attackers enter the range of ship-based GARDIAN fire. Wormhole-deployed fighter and frigate strikes continue. Dreadnoughts fire from the rear, screened by smaller ships. Commanders must decide whether to commit to a general melee, hold position in long-ranged battle to further weaken the target, or retreat.

At medium range, ships can use broadside guns. Fleets intermingle, and it becomes difficult to retreat in order. Ships with damaged kinetic barriers are vulnerable to wolf pack frigate flotillas and fighters with swarm missiles that speed through the battle space. Casualties may have begun to mount by this point, and plasma fire intensifies, either against ships with disrupted kinetic barriers or to further degrade performance. Fusion lances may be used to destroy high-priority targets.

At close range - under one hundred kilometers - GARDIAN becomes a viable option, destroying fighters and burning through starship armor. Warship exhaust becomes a severe hazard. Wormhole deployments become risky as so many ships exchange fire.

 **Ships and Vehicles: Hyperwave and Wormhole Tactics**

Hyperwave systems enable commanders to observe enemy positions and movements from the edges of a star system in real-time and plan precise attacks using standard mass effect faster-than-light drives or wormholes. Sudden, "bolt from the blue" attacks are a hallmark of human tactics.

Because hyperwaves can only scan a small area, they are typically employed to observe known celestial bodies. A ship or facility hidden in deep space is virtually impossible to locate due to the vast distances.

Accurate wormhole-based strikes are dependant on hyperwave scanning to put them at precise positions. Because all objects in space are in motion, even a few seconds' delay can result in a wormhole being opened vastly off-target. A distinctive radiation burst also accompanies the formation of a wormhole, just ahead of its actual appearance, which can alert defenders to an incoming attack. For this reason, achieving total surprise is often dependent on mass effect FTL systems; by the time the Cherenkov radiation burst has been registered, the attacking ships have already emerged in position and are firing.

Firing munitions such as disruptor torpedoes or fusion lances through wormholes is a viable option, so long as the target is not allowed to align its defenses toward the wormhole. "Bolt from the blue" missile strikes are often ineffective by themselves, as modern GARDIAN systems automatically target any wormholes they detect and fire upon munitions the moment they emerge. Common tactics involve distracting the defenders with swarms of frigates and drone fighters and then launching missiles through wormholes while they are engaged, although opening a wormhole close enough is often a challenge due to the targets being constantly in motion during battle.


	2. Codex Part Two: Humanity and Factions

_**Codex: Humanity/XCOM/Organizations and Factions**_

* * *

 **XCOM**

The Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or XCOM, was founded by humanity in the 20th century to research and engage hostile alien life. XCOM was a covert initiative funded by a Council of Funding Nations, and proved decisively effective during the Ethereal War in the early 21st Century. XCOM subsequently continued to serve as the spearhead of human scientific and space exploration, pioneering many human technologies, including wormhole arrays, brain uploading, cortical stacks, biological and mechanical augmentation, and early mass effect research. XCOM was also pivotal in establishing early contact with both the Geth Consensus and the Citadel in 2103.

XCOM is a neutral organization within the human political spectrum. The organization draws funding and personnel from every nation on Earth, and its charter and mandate specify it is not beholden to any nation. In addition, XCOM maintains the right to police and train psionic individuals within the human population. As part of its charter, XCOM has to limit its military capability to one fifth of the total military capacity of the smallest supranational alliance. In addition, nations that have signed the XCOM charter are required to defer to XCOM authority in the event of either first contact situations with new alien species or in the event of another encounter with the Ethereals.

The XCOM organization experiences an unusual degree of approval and, in the eyes of some Citadel observers, reverence from the majority of humanity. The organization is widely recognized as being directly responsible for the survival of the human species in their war with the Ethereals, which helps contribute to their unusual degree of autonomy. Nonetheless, XCOM has its detractors, particularly in regards to its Psionic Corps division.

XCOM is lead by the XCOM Commander. Each division answers to its own Director, who report to the Commander. The Commander is answerable to the Council of Funding Nations, or simply known as the Funding Council, a body of heads-of-state who authorize XCOM's funding.

XCOM is divided into four divisions. Direct Action is the primary military component of the organization, possessing the majority of ships and military personnel and intended to engage hostile alien forces or support the other three divisions' operations. Research and Development conducts cutting edge technological research, focusing on recovered alien technology. Intelligence is tasked with both gathering intelligence on alien powers as well as identifying internal human threats such as the EXALT conspiracy. Psionic Corps is tasked with identifying, training, protecting, and policing human psionics.

XCOM also employs special agents known as Sentinels to carry out investigations, irregular warfare, and police actions. Sentinels combine the duties of detective, commando, and spy. Most Sentinels are semi-independent agents who assemble their own specialist teams, and are given significant leeway to carry out their missions.

 **XCOM: Direct Action**

The Direct Action division is the core military element of XCOM and makes up the majority of its personnel. Direct Action maintains a substantial ground combat element as well as a significant fleet, which are deployed both as a peacekeeping force and a quick-reaction force in the event of major political crises or an alien threat.

XCOM fleets are divided into both smaller patrol groups and larger "Strikes." Strikes are carrier task forces, typically consisting of several light carriers and attached escort and direct combat forces, and a primary carrier that serves as the command center of the entire Strike. Strikes are identified by number, with carrier squadrons designated as Alpha, Bravo, etc. For example, Strike Seven Delta is the fourth carrier squadron of Strike Seven. Patrol groups are typiclly squadrons of cruisers and frigates and are identified by the sector they are assigned to guard, such as "Patrol Three, Attican Beta."

Direct Action's doctrine takes advantage of their elite, "tip of the spear" role. Patrols and Strikes are configured for rapid response, arriving at a crisis zone first. Fleets typically use hyperwave scanning to observe threats and then launch rapid assaults with sudden, overwhelming force. Carriers remain on the edge of the system with fleet support ships, launching fighters and offering repair and rearmament to XCOM ships. Should the carriers come under direct threat, they typically jump out using either wormholes or conventional mass effect FTL, moving to a different part of the system to continue supporting the fleet.

On the surface, XCOM troops operate as an airmobile strike force, quickly hitting critical targets and hotspots. Structurally, XCOM is geared as a supporting element, as it is assumed that in any surface engagement they will be acting alongside either local defense forces or the ground elements of another supranational alliance's military. Because of their relatively small numbers, XCOM units are able to be outfitted with the very best in weaponry, armor, support systems, and genetic and cybernetic augmentation. Because of PsiCorps' influence on human psionics, XCOM also maintains one of the largest pool of combat-capable psychics in the galaxy, and uses them to devastating effect.

 **XCOM: Psionic Corps**

XCOM's Psionic Corps (or simply "PsiCorps") is a division that was developed as an outgrowth of the organization's pivotal role in discovering and cultivating the first human psychics. Later, XCOM managed to secure control over identification, training, and policing the rapidly-growing population of human psychics, using both its status as the saviors of humanity as well as superior institutional knowledge of psionics as a whole.

PsiCorps' core duty is the protection and training of human psychics. To this end, it supports the active testing of children to identify the rare humans that possess the Gift. Should a child be discovered to possess the Gift, they are given training by local PsiCorps personnel to control their powers, and their parents are offered the opportunity to have the child taken to one of several PsiCorps-established academies for more extensive training. Facilities include the military-oriented Titan PsiCorps Academy, the civilian-controlled Grissom Academy, and the more recently-constructed Wade Elementary School for the Gifted on Bekenstien.

A secondary task of PsiCorps is the policing of human psychics. In the event of criminal activity caused by a psychic, or the presence of an uncontrolled psychic who has gone nova, PsiCorps dispatches a Sentinel and support team to assist in the capture of the psychic in question. Criminals who have been tried and sentenced are secured in containment cells in the Sedna Nullification Facility built into the Sedna planetoid in the Sol system, while uncontrolled psionic children are sent to the Titan PsiCorps Academy until they can control their powers, at which point they are given the opportunity to go to Grissom or stay on Titan.

In the event of an encounter with either Ethereals or another alien species with psychic ability, PsiCorps is tasked with providing immediate tactical and strategic support.

PsiCorps experiences a mixed reputation, as the organization frequently appears at the site of psionic disasters and incidents and co-opts local military and police as part of their investigations. This, coupled with the fact that they routinely seize both psychic criminals and children and remove them to distant facilities, has led to a more sinister reputation. Conspiracy theories about the division are common, and many parents of psychic children are bitter that their children are taken away, however temporarily, in the name of public safety. The fact that PsiCorps agents and Sentinels regularly wear both psi-shielded armor and psi-cloaks does not help with this reputation.

 **XCOM: Sentinels**

Sentinels are special agents of XCOM, who operate under the authority of the XCOM Commander. The majority of Sentinels are of Major rank, which puts them directly under the command of Fleet Captains and Admirals, but some hold higher positions and answer directly to the Commander and the Funding Council. Sentinels are elite agents, and are generally granted great authority to resolve dangerous situations.

Unlike Council Spectres, who operate alone or in small teams of two or three, Sentinels operate in squad-sized elements. Typically, there are one or two Sentinels, who are backed by a team of specialists and elite soldiers, many hand-chosen by the Sentinel either from elite military personnel or exceptional individuals they have encountered and recruited in their travels. Most Sentinels are assigned a frigate to support their operations, typically commanded by the Captain who oversees their operations or under the direct command of the Sentinel if they are above Major rank.

Sentinel assignments vary greatly, depending on the crisis, situation, and division of XCOM they work for. Some are tasked with collecting vital artifacts of samples for Research and Development. Some are assigned to intelligence-gathering missions for Intelligence, particularly aimed at powerful alien polities such as the Terminus, the Cabal, or the Corpus. Direct Action Sentinels are commonly assigned to high-priority military targets. PsiCorps Sentinels are typically dispatched to deal with uncontrolled psychics or psionic criminals. Other duties include high-priority investigations - including internal investigations of XCOM itself - high-risk search and rescue operations, surveying dangerous worlds, and bodyguarding human dignitaries or psionics in non-human space. Nearly any task XCOM finds itself carrying out can involve Sentinels.

 **XCOM: CASE**

"CASE" is the designation for high-priority alerts issued by XCOM. It is the first word of a three-word designator for an exceptional scenario or situation, and the protocols to be immediately followed. Some CASE alerts are XCOM-specific, while others are general and apply to all nations who have signed the XCOM charter. Military personnel and civilians of member nations are generally expected to obey the protocols specific to each CASE alert as though the commands came from their own government; failure to do so can result in the individuals responsible being charged as criminals by their own nation's courts.

CASE protocols include "local" and "universal" orders. Local orders are for short-term, immediate crises, in which the CASE only applies to human forces in an immediate area, such as a single star system. Universal protocols are large-scale emergencies that affect multiple star systems, and affect all of human space. Triggering either variant of a CASE is closely investigated by both XCOM and the Funding Council; if it turns out that the alert was false, the consequences are severe for the XCOM officer responsible.

CASE scenarios include:

CASE IRON DRAGON: Activated in case of unidentified alien presence. General military alert and activation of XCOM reserve elements. Quick-response units, scientific units, and diplomatic teams activated and dispatched to area where presence was detected.

CASE BLOODY JESTER: Activated in the instance of confirmed hostile alien contact. Total military alert, full XCOM rearmament. XCOM units dispatched to conflict zone to assess situation with available allied units in support. Scientific teams and ships placed on standby to analyze captured alien artifacts, bodies, and live prisoners. Diplomatic teams activated and attempts to communicate begin.

CASE EAGLE DAWN: Peaceful alien contact occurs. Military units put on standby alert. Diplomatic and scientific teams moved to area where contact occurred. XCOM combat elements on ready alert in case diplomatic contact turns sour.

CASE CHIMERA SUNRISE: Ethereal presence is detected. Full military alert, all military personnel in affected area are immediately placed under XCOM command. Strategic weaponry is slaved to local XCOM command. Non-combat personnel evacuate affected area. PsiCorps agents and Sentinels mobilized to area of operations to engage Ethereals if needed. If universal protocols are in place, human militaries go to wartime alert status.

CASE PARASITE BLACK: A theoretic CASE, in the event that a human nation or colony has been subverted by an alien threat. The polity in question is immediately isolated, and XCOM Intelligence begins observation and analysis in preparation for military action and to determine how deep the subversion goes and what can be salvaged.

There are rumors of other CASE scenarios that are kept highly classified. Two of the rumored scenarios are referred to as CASE SOLAR RONIN and CASE RAGNAROK ARSENAL.

 **XCOM: Interrogation and Protected Status**

During the Ethereal War, XCOM had difficulty extracting useful information from enemy captives, primarily due to extreme difficulty communicating with them and their extremely alien mindsets and biology (the sole exception being the "Thin Men" infiltrators, which could communicate with humans perfectly well). XCOM was forced to rely on aggressive and violently coercive procedures, including surgery and direct neural stimulation of captive aliens' brains, to learn about alien technology and capabilities.

In modern times, however, such methods are both unnecessary and have the potential to cause literal alienation among humanity's allies. XCOM's amended charter places all citizens of human nations and those of human allies under official "protected" status, sharply restricting interrogation rules; in most cases XCOM is restricted to the same techniques as most law enforcement agencies. Individuals with sufficient clearance and just cause, such as Sentinels, specially-authorized Intelligence agents, and officers of Admiral rank and above, may rescind protected status from a human or alien prisoner, but they must demonstrate just cause in exacting detail, and the decision will be thoroughly analyzed by review boards from both XCOM Command and the subject's own government. Protected status may also be rescinded in the case of alien infiltration.

* * *

 **Humanity: Ethereal War**

The human species was abruptly and unexpectedly assaulted by the alien invaders known as the Ethereal Collective in 2015 AD. Attacking from orbit, Ethereal spacecraft dropped both infantry and machines to abduct humans and cause panic and disruption among human society. Conventional human military forces attempted to engage the Ethereals' troops, and while suffering heavy losses, were able to temporarily avert the total collapse of human society. Ethereal technology, however, was vastly beyond the ability of humanity to overcome with its own tech.

The XCOM project was activated early into the war. XCOM personnel, equipped with best weaponry and aircraft in the world, were able to reach a number of dangerous hotspots across the planet and capture vital alien technology. XCOM's scientists and engineers were able to reverse-engineer many of the alien technologies, including MELD, elerium, vahlenite alloys, and plasma weapons. These technologies were turned against the aliens, and XCOM personnel were able to turn the tide in a number of critical battles.

During this time, the EXALT conspiracy became active. A secretive, globe-spanning conspiracy, EXALT believed that if they sabotaged XCOM operations and supported the Ethereals, they could take control of humanity and gain a privileged position among the alien conquerors. After numerous clashes with both XCOM and global police agencies, EXALT's headquarters was identified (operating out of a high-rise in downtown Hong Kong) and assaulted by XCOM. Intelligence collected from the site led to the total dismantling of the organization.

Late in the war, an enormous Ethereal craft known as the Temple Ship entered through a wormhole into Earth's atmosphere. It proved utterly immune to any attempts to assault until XCOM constructed the Gollop Chamber, which housed a device recovered from the Ethereals known as the "Psi-Link" or "Gollop Device." When XCOM Colonel Annette Durand interfaced with the device, she was able to communicate with the Ethereal leadership and learned how to bypass their defenses. With her greatly-improved psychic abilities, Durand led a small team onto the Temple Ship and assassinated the Ethereal leadership. Without the Ethereals to control its systems, the Temple Ship began to self-destruct, and Durand remained behind to pilot the Temple Ship into orbit where its destruction would minimize damage to Earth.

Years after the end of the war, XCOM declassified some of the communications with the Ethereals that Durand received while assaulting the Temple Ship. The messages implied that the Ethereals were seeking to uplift a species that possessed a strong physical body, a high intelligence, and the capacity for psionics, and that humanity was the most promising specimen that they had encountered. To the present day, speculation abounds as to the Ethereals' greater motivations and to what purpose they sought to uplift humanity.

 **Humanity: Diplomatic Relations**

Diplomacy between the various human superpower-alliances (or simply "super-alliances") and the larger galaxy are highly complicated due to the fragmented nature of the human species. Unlike most of the other species in the galaxy, humanity has yet to have a majority of their population united under any single hegemonic government. Citadel diplomats and political scientists compare modern humanity to the turians prior to the Unification War that formed the modern Turian Hierarchy.

The Pan-Pacific Alliance and the European Union are staunch allies, while the Strategic Defense Coalition is the single largest and most powerful of the alliances. Historical, economic, and cultural rivalries and connections have resulted in these two power blocs being the most combative of rivals. The South Atlantic Federation is allied with the Jovian Republics, which are unique in that they have no presence on the human homeworld of Earth. The Russian Union is the weakest of the six alliances, but has sufficient power that it often serves as the "deal-maker" in super-alliance politics.

The alliances have never engaged in open warfare between their members. However, covert actions, proxy wars on colonies, and "terrorist" attacks have been frequent occurrences, and at least once a decade there is a major military showdown that comes close to sparking war (one of the most recent examples being the SDC blockade of Proteus). The possibility of open warfare remains a dangerous spectre, although fears of an external threat, whether it be an attack from the Terminus, the remnants of the Batarian Hegemony, or the ever-worrying prospect of the return of the Ethereals has staved off open warfare between the alliances.

With the larger galaxy, ironically, human relations are more stable. Each of the alliances considers the Citadel and the Geth Consensus their military allies, and freely shares non-classified technology and commonly available military developments. While trade exists between humanity and the Terminus powers, relations vary depending on the minor power and the particular human alliance. The only constant is a mutual hostility between humanity and the Cabal: while neither side is aggressive toward the other, they treat incursions into their territory as hostile actions and shoot or seize intruding ships on sight.

The Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, or XCOM, serves as a neutral force in human politics, and is often called upon to carry out mediating duties or to intervene in conflicts between the powers before they erupt into open warfare, although the leadership of XCOM resents being forced into this role.

 **Humanity: Pan-Pacific Alliance**

The Pan-Pacific Alliance formed in the wake of the Ethereal War, formalizing an already-existing military and economic alliance between the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. Tightened political ties, particularly between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, led to the alliance becoming the second of the "superalliances" after the European Union.

The catalyst for the PPA's formation as a full-fledged military and political entity was the Second Korean War. North Korean forces, largely ignored by the Ethereals, attempted to invade and seize South Korea, which had suffered heavy damage under alien attack. However, South Korean forces still retained a substantial technological advantage, including a number of new systems acquired from XCOM, and were able to repel the attack. A subsequent counterattack supported by US military forces succeeded in defeating and reunifying the two Koreas. This resulted in a cascading effect among local Asians politics that included an increase in tensions with the then-growing Strategic Defense Coalition, ultimately resulting in the creation of the Pan-Pacific Alliance..

Because of both cultural and political history, shared with membership of most of the PPA's nations, the NATO spread to encompass both the European Union and the new PPA. While the two supranational alliances are separate political entities, the EU and PPA generally act in concert, opposing the raw geographic reach and population of the SDC. Individual member nations maintain their own military forces, while space-borne forces operate under the PPA's collective banner.

The PPA maintains dominant control over Mars, parts of Luna, and Ceres, as well as a large number of lucrative extrasolar colonies close to the routes from the Charon Relay.

 **Humanity: Strategic Defense Coalition**

The first true "superalliance" formed after the Ethereal War, the Strategic Defense Coalition was initially a hastily-assembled alliance of China and a number of southeast Asian nations that had been devastated by the invasion. Most of the Chinese leadership had been subverted by either Ethereal infiltration or EXALT agents. People's Liberation Army leadership that remained uncorrupted responded quickly once EXALT's headquarters in Hong Kong was identified and purged the corrupted heads of state.

In the ensuing chaos, heavy-handed security measures were enforced alongside an aggressively-regulated economy in order to keep the country from completely falling apart. As a result, china recovered extremely quickly from the invasion. Chinese military and newly-appointed political leaders moved quickly to support neighboring nations with humanitarian aid, as well as military and economic aid packages, as well as extending offers of military alliances. Within a few years, the Chinese had established a Strategic Defense Coalition to protect the Asian continent, which only grew tighter and more defensive when North Korea was annexed following the outbreak of the Second Korean War.

SDC alliances and economic aid steadily spread south and west, with Iran and Pakistan swiftly joining, and a number of Middle eastern and African nations officially joining the alliance in order to help recover from the alien invasion and their own internal issues. SDC troops aggressively rooted out insurgent forces and established peacekeeping facilities, establishing a heavy-handed peace.

Currently the SDC terrestrial military and space-borne forces are a unified military command. SDC has established firm control over parts of Luna, and has orbital bases around Saturn and Neptune, effectively locking down these planets. They have aggressively expanded beyond Sol, colonizing a number of sectors beyond the Charon Relay.

 **Humanity: Jovian Republics**

The Jovian Republics formed some time after the establishment of other extraterrestrial colonies across Sol. Initially colonized by a mix of international corporations, Jupiter's moons found themselves becoming havens for populations opposed to the steady spread of human genetic and cybernetic augmentations on Earth. The development of these technologies was directly attributed to humanity's survival against the Ethereals, and received unusually widespread support. "Bio-conservative" individuals opposed to augmentation on moral, ethical, and philosophical grounds increasingly moved to the fringes of society.

South Atlantic Federation-supported colonies on Jupiter were among the first to open their habitats to those who were against augmentation. Over several decades, hundreds of habitats were established around Jupiter, mining the gas giant's near-endless supply of helium-3 to fuel fusion reactors. These colonies began to push for independence from the corporations that had established them, and when corporate security forces arrived to cement control, they were openly attacked by the SAF's spaceborne navy. The Jovian Republics declared independence. Despite the lobbying of corporations that suffered under the Republics' newfound independence, the other superalliances were reluctant to confront the SAF over the development. Massive popular dissent against any intervention and a respectable SAF navy capable of inflicting costly losses contributed to the reluctance. After significant deliberation, PPA, SDC, and EU leaders recognized the existence of the new state.

The Jovian Republics leveraged both a strategic position and control over substantial fuel resources to grow their colonies quickly, establishing their own merchant and military navies with assistance from the SAF. They have since proven to be exceptionally adept at zero-gravity operations and mining, and the Jovians' expansion beyond Sol has been characterized by ignoring garden worlds and instead taking control of gas giants. The majority of fuel mining operations in human space are either Jovian or use jovian-developed technologies and methods.

The previously-existing bioconservative stance of the population has only grown more intense as time passes and much of humanity embraces augmentation. The common cultural identity among the Jovians actually embraces distance and separation from the rest of humanity, with many taking pride in their isolation and "pure" genetic structure and "clean" bodies with minimal augmentation. Despite this, however, the Jovians are willing collaborators with XCOM, and are extremely enthusiastic with their support for the organization in spite of its extensive use of augments.

* * *

 **Organizations and Factions**

 **Organizations: EXALT**

In 2015, XCOM forces confronting the Ethereals made periodic hostile contact with an organization of human insurgents using sophisticated tactics and technology, along with uncanny intelligence on their operations. Through interrogation of the few captives taken, and the seizure of limited data from enemy sites, XCOM was able to identify this organization as "EXALT." Subsequent battles with EXALT revealed a massive, entrenched organization structured much like a terrorist network, consisting of isolated cells, each devoted to undermining both XCOM and national governments fighting the Ethereals. XCM eventually located and assaulted EXALT's headquarters late into the war, and intelligence secured from that raid was used to effectively dismantle the organization.

Recovered intelligence indicates that EXALT has existed in one form or another for thousands of years. Artifacts and records from their headquarters imply that the current EXALT group was formed from several different secret paramilitary societies that originally came about in various Bronze and Iron Age civilizations. EXALT's endgoal appeared to be to take advantage of the Ethereal invasion to both capture alien technology to advance transhuman augmentations and take control of human governments in the chaos. It is unknown if EXALT had any contact or coordination with the Ethereals, although at least one instance was recorded that involved the Ethereals attacking an EXALT convoy carrying human psychics.

While the core of the conspiracy was destroyed, elements of EXALT appear to have survived to the present day, although they appear to be limited and uncoordinated. Suspected EXALT agents have carried out terrorist attacks against both human governments and Citadel species, leading to the Citadel has declaring them a terrorist organization. The current goals of the organization remain unknown.

 **Organizations: Future War Cult**

In the wake of the Ethereal War, human society took on an extremely militant stance. The number of humans joining fringe survivalist organizations and militias increased exponentially. Personal weapon ownership rose dramatically, and weapons research and defense funding grew extensively. In the decades following the war, two survivalist groups grew to prominence. One was the Dead Orbit movement, and the other was the Future War Foundation.

The Future War Foundation was initially assembled by Corazon Santiago, a former Colonel with the South Atlantic Federation, as an amalgamation of survivalist groups, research think-tanks, and defense contractors. The Foundation presented a grim, brutal philosophy: that war is an inevitable constant, with peace being a transient period between wars, and that any entity that wished for survival must always be prepared for the next war. To this end, the Foundation pushed hard for technological research and widespread weapons proliferation, and were among the most vocal proponents for human augmentation. Colonel Santiago was among the first humans to volunteer for cortical stack augmentation.

By the early 22nd century, the Future War Foundation had changed its name to the Future War Cult, embracing claims by its critics that its violent philosophy was becoming almost religious in nature. Core objectives continue to be advanced weapons research and preparation of civilian populations for military conflict, typically through establishing training programs for civil defense, preparing supply caches, and improving local defense and infrastructure. The Cult claims a broad membership, both of "part-timers" who conduct civil defense preparations, and "core" members who carry out more specific and crucial tasks, including security of important FWC facilities.

FWC currently maintains a number of paramilitary militias, particularly on outer colonies, organized officially for defense and answerable to local government. At the same time, the Cult maintains a mixed-species, professional private security force trained by both human, turian, and asari special operations instructors. While unable to directly challenge any conventional interstellar military, the Cult's army is still large and capable enough to be a notable factor in interstellar dealings, particularly in the Terminus. The Cult also maintains an unofficial "embassy" on the Citadel Wards.

 **Organizations: Armacham Technology Corporation**

Established and incorporated in 2009, Armacham Technology Corporation was initially a small-scale aerospace technology firm that was contracted to help develop next-generation fighter craft. Proving unusually adept at developing aircraft without the contract bloat and extended testing most craft experienced, Armacham helped to create the prototypes of the Raven interceptor that would be eventually bought and used extensively by XCOM during the ethereal War. Leveraging their success in this field, ATC was able to secure contracts and classified access to a number of newly-developing fields in aerospace development, power generation, and small arms in the years following the war.

By 2033, Armacham managed to secure rights as the first non-XCOM private agency to develop psionic technology. Under XCOM supervision, ATC scientists were able to replicate an effective version of psionic shielding technology. When the Prothean ruins on Mars were uncovered in 2035, Armacham scientists were among the first private interests authorized to begin experimentation with element zero, mass effect technology, and mass relays. By the end of 2091, ATC had completed development and construction of the first wormhole array that could interface with a mass relay.

While Armacham expanded steadily, contact with the Citadel and Geth Consensus resulted in an aggressive expansion into a much wider range of services. Currently, Armacham is one of the top ten largest corporations in the galaxy, supplying military and defense contracts to nearly every Citadel government for everything from small arms and armor to military and civilian starships. It acts as an industry leader in plasma, laser, and psionic technology, along with large subsidiary corporations that deal in energy generation, morph sculpting, and cybernetic augmentation. In addition, ATC developed the extremely successful Replica soldier program, and maintains a private security division that rivals most major planetary defense forces.

Despite its great success, Armacham has come under scrutiny and criticism for unethical bioengineering, legally-questionable psionic research (including allegations of deliberate evasion of XCOM PsiCorps oversight) and the repeated misuse of Replica soldiers for war crimes by Terminus warlords. Despite repeated investigations by both human and non-human agencies, including Spectres, Armacham has managed to weather these inquires due to major political connections, money, and willingness to quickly identify and hand over evidence implicating personnel who have stepped outside of legal bounds. Thus far, all major criminal investigations have proven to be individuals operating outside of orders from ATC's leadership, although cynical observers have noted that these "rogue" projects have often turned out remarkably contained and "sanitized" before investigators even arrive, with clear-cut evidence implicating those responsible.

 **Organizations: New Conglomerate**

The New Conglomerate (NC for short) is an economic association of many human-controlled mega- and hyper-corporations devoted primarily to protecting member companies and human markets from external economic threats. Formed shortly after contact with the Citadel and its vastly greater economy, the NC was organized specifically to shield vulnerable human markets from alien corporations and enable human corporations to trade effectively.

To this end, the New Conglomerate provides logistical support, assistance networks, and a massive lobbying apparatus to apply political pressure to establish favorable trade laws. It also provides heavy material support and both naval and planetary security for member corporations, as well as greatly discounted infrastructure support to establish orbital facilities and colonial ventures. Member corporations regularly coordinate operations to expand into and break open new markets and deny access to human markets. Non-human firms have repeatedly accused the New Conglomerate of engaging in sabotage, piracy, and even supporting armed insurrections and terrorism to gain the upper hand in disrupting their own production and trade.

Beyond the major supranational alliances, the NC fields one of the largest and best-armed military forces in human space; many member corporations include private security companies such as the Blue Suns, Hyperion, Monoc Securities, and Hoplite Consulting, and New Conglomerate Security Command purchases and employs the most Replica soldiers of any PMC in the galaxy. NC naval vessels are generally flagged as friendly by human navies, and NC patrols have engaged in a number of anti-piracy operations in the outer colonies.

 **Organizations: Corpus**

Volus culture and society places great emphasis on the movement of liquid assets - which, in volus economics, means everything. As the volus expanded into space and discovered the mass relays, an economic philosophy developed that came to be known as the "body of trade" - modeling economic systems after an organic's body. While most species developed broadly similar economic models for the movement of liquid assets, the process of moving money and goods in a profitable manner took on a deeper philosophical and in many cases outright religious tone. To gain profit in the process of movement of assets was viewed as something akin to enlightenment, and the more power and wealth one accumulates, the healthier one's mind and soul.

This "profit-cult" belief was primarily held by volus economists and philosophers (which were usually the same thing) and not exceptionally widespread in volus culture until after the Vol Protectorate willingly joined the Turian Hierarchy as a client species. Integration of some elements of turian belief systems, particularly civic duty and meritocracy, produced an unusually evangelical bent to the profit-cults' dogma. Combined with the expanding volus role in developing the galactic economy, the profit-cults began to grow more aggressively, exporting their "body of trade" concept to the wider galaxy. When humans made contact with the Citadel, the closest translation of the concept was eventually determined to be the Latin word "Corpus."

The Corpus, as they are now known among humans, are now a multi-species collective of economists and corporate leaders who have ascribed to the profit-cult belief of acquiring profit as a source of enlightenment. They maintain massive monetary and economic power and a substantial private military component, which is used to ensure the safety of their members' assets in the lawless Terminus Systems. During the Citadel economic crisis following the quarian extermination and Citadel military buildup, the Corpus were instrumental in stabilizing the Citadel's economy, although this gave them a substantial degree of control over the citadel's economy. The Corpus Board of directors is currently led by the volus Frohd Bek.

 **Organizations: Project Athena**

Initiated in 2145, Project Athena was a joint-species effort to resurrect the then-extinct quarian species. The project was initially spearheaded by a joint human-geth effort, with the geth providing genetic data recovered from quarian bodies and several human government and corporations, primarily the Morgan Industries subsidiary Morgan Genomics, handling the genetic testing and cloning process. Other Citadel interests quickly became involved: salarian biologists assisted with genetic modification to ensure healthy births, Turian Hierarchy military provided additional security for the facilities, and asari psychologists and behavioral specialists - including a number of Matrons and Matriarchs who had previously had personal contact with quarian society before the extinction - assisted in preparing a safe, stable environment for the newborns. Volus, hanar, and elcor interests also helped to fund and support the project.

The new generation of quarians had genetic components carefully selected from a number of bloodlines that the geth were able to identify. Having obtained suitable data from tens of thousands of quarian bodies, the genetics team was able to create diversified gene structures and in many cases were able to clone directly from significant ethnic bloodlines and populations. The cloned children were grown in specialized biological exowombs, and were dubbed "neo-quarians" to differentiate them from their genetic forebears.

The greatest challenge that the team faced was determining how to raise the new quarians. As their society had been all but annihilated, only fragments of quarian history and culture remained, and it was judged unfeasible to attempt to recreate a quarian society. Instead, the neo-quarian children were to be specifically raised in a multi-species, culturally-diverse environment. To this end, Project Athena nursery facilities were established on secure worlds with large, multi-species populations. The primary facility was established on the Citadel itself, named the "Zorah Creche" after one of the major genetic bloodlines that was recovered from Rannoch.

Due to the extensive genetic and behavioral preparation required, legal issues, and disagreement on how to proceed, the first neo-quarians were not born until 2153. These 'first generation" neo-quarians were carefully raised and integrated into Citadel society, and initially consisted of only a few hundred children. Once these neo-quarians proved stable and viable, many more were gradually birthed. The second generation of neo-quarians consists of more than forty thousand children, and were initially born in the 2160s. Many of these second-generation neo-quarians are the direct descendants of first-generation neo-quarians.

The geth have proven extremely protective of the neo-quarians. Most Athena facilities are heavily-guarded by the geth, and many neo-quarians have a geth guardian assigned to them, whether they like it or not.

 **Organizations: Firewall**

 **[ERROR: DATA UNAVAILABLE]**


	3. Codex Part Three: Locations and Aliens

**_Codex: Planets and Locations/Alien Species_**

 **Planets and Locations: Proteus**

Proteus was first discovered by SDC surveys in the late 2140's. A mostly-ocean world wracked by constant storms, its nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere and carbon-based biosphere nonetheless offered it as a viable colonization option. Both the SDC and PPA rushed colonists to the planet, deploying large-scale underwater colony habitats on opposite sides of the world. Both alliances spent the first few years of development in a state of wary paranoia, but a gradual acceptance and equilibrium eventually developed.

The primary industries of the planet include marine agriculture and undersea mining, as well as marine research and development. Undersea conditions are conducive to the development of particular genetically-engineered marine delicacies that are difficult to raise on Earth.

Proteus' current population is roughly one hundred and forty thousand, mostly split between the dominant powers. A small percentage of the population live in independent habitats scattered around the planet. Aside from a dominant human population, Proteus also has a significant number of hanar, who mostly live outside the habitats and handle to both maintenance and marine agriculture.

 **Citadel and Galactic Government: Transspecisism**

The majority of species who have discovered mass relays have also developed augmentation technologies of various types that allow them to bypass natural limitations. These range from mechanical augmentations and implants to genetic engineering and surgically-integrated wetware to animal uplifting and consciousness transferral. Attitudes across Citadel space vary depending on the species, community, and individual, and laws regarding augmentations vary depending on jurisdiction. Citadel law is broadly liberal in regards to augmentations; with the exception of extremely dangerous transspecies tech such as weaponized nanoswarms or wetware that can synthesize biowarfare agents, almost all augmentations are tacitly permitted and regulation is generally left to local authorities.

Of the Council species, the salarians are the most pro-augmentation, with cybernetic and genetic modifications being extremely common. Ironically, the majority of these augmentations are so unobtrusive that most salarians appear completely unmodified upon visual inspection. Turians also embrace practical augmentation, although there is a widespread belief that a turian must "earn" their augmentations through service and sacrifice. The asari are broadly conservative about augmentation, but accept transspecies technology for medical reasons or to amplify biotic capacity. However, there is also a widespread social stigma attached to "unnecessary" augmentation among the asari.

Oft he non-Council species, the hanar already utilize significant augmentations to simply allow them to survive outside of the ocean alongside their drell allies and companions. Volus also use cybernetic augmentation to help them more effectively survive on planets that do not fit the requirements of Irune. Elcor have adopted conservative, minor augmentations, mostly because they feel they have little need to upgrade their already-durable and strong bodies. Debate on further Elcor augmentation continues at its typically steady and exhaustive pace. Drell have begun to use mechanical assistance to deal with the problems relating to Kepral's Syndrome, and currently are testing new nanotech and gene-therapy treatments to repair the damage caused by exposure to humid environments.

Surviving batarian governments have aggressively embraced mechanical augmentation; a combination of already-authoritarian bias in their governments and constant military conflict with their neighboring batarian remnants has pushed them to seek any advantage they can over their rivals. Batarian augmentations are typically cheap, specialized, and crude, but highly effective for their particular roles. Krogan, on the other hand, have thoroughly rejected augmentation. Krogan culture looks down upon genetic and mechanical enhancements; those krogan who do get overt modifications are shunned on Tuchanka if their augs are discovered, especially if their augs were purchased from turian or salarian firms. The sole exception are medical treatments for the genophage's enforced sterility; any augmentation that improves krogan fertility is welcomed.

 **Council Species: Asari: Neural Empathy Psionics**

Initial contact with humans revealed that the asari capacity to link their nervous system with another living being's through melding was actually an expression of psionics. While this came as no surprise to humanity, who had already encountered two other species with psychic capacity, it caused a degree of consternation among the asari that they had a capability that was similar to another species that they had not understood as well as previously suspected. The psionic ability was eventually termed "neural empathy" by humans, although the asari insisted that it continue to be called "melding."

While the ability to meld was an understood phenomena, careful study and practice with human psychics revealed that, with training and concentration, asari could vaguely read the emotional patterns of others within a relatively short distance. With intense concentration and practice, an asari could even briefly disrupt the neural processes of another creature within a short distance. Both capabilities were previously believed to only be available to ardat-yakshi, asari suffering from a genetic defect that caused them to damage partners' nervous systems while melding, as well as giving them unusual applications of their existing biotics.

Aggressive research is underway by joint human and asari teams to determine how asari are able to use psionics while still possessing large quantities of element zero in their bodies. Connections between these abilities and ardat-yakshi are also being studied. In addition, because of their latent psychic ability, asari military analysts are combing through records of ship and colony attacks over the last two thousand years, in an effort to determine if any of them were due to the Ethereals.

 **Council Species: Turians: Exo**

The Exo was originally developed during the Unification Wars as an emergency medical exoskeleton that could preserve a critically wounded soldier's brain from death. Hierarchy engineers eventually developed more robust and combat-capable exoskeletons that could enable crippled veterans to return to combat. More advanced and refined versions enabled direct brain transplant into fully articulated synthetic bodies. Contact with humanity and MELD-derived neural-mapping technology resulted in the development of Exo bodies with turian-keyed cyberbrains capable of housing a dying or dead person's ego.

Current-generation military-grade Exos are specifically engineered to be stronger and more durable than baseline turian organic bodies, and can potentially exceed the capabilities of even turians in advanced hardsuits. They also include full extranet communication suites as well as a complete set of sensory systems. Options are available to process organic foods, simulate breathing, mimic turian cartilage skin, and simulate all other aspects of organic life, to the point that an Exo can be indistinguishable from a normal turian even at close visual inspection, although biochemical markers and penetrating scans can easily determine the truth.

Although Exos can closely mimic organic bodies, many turians who have been transferred to an Exo body prefer to leave its mechanical aspects "bare," or at least leave some indicator of their status obvious to an observer. Many turians take pride in "earning their metal;" if the turian in question is injured or killed during service to the state, the expense of an Exo body, the consciousness transferral, and subsequent maintenance are funded by the Hierarchy. For this reason, turian Exos are often afforded a great deal of respect, and those who "fake" receiving their Exos in the line of duty are regarded with great scorn. On the other hand, turians who willingly transfer into Exo bodies without "earning" them but are honest about that fact are treated as strange or eccentric.

Exos are most commonly used in the turian military as elite assault teams, emergency response units, and medical duties due to their great strength and resistance to hazardous conditions. Exo scouts, explorers, and surveyors of uncharted worlds are also common because of the lack of a need to eat, breathe, or sleep. Though rare, Exos who hire themselves out as mercenaries or private security are highly prized. Custom Exo bodies with specific neural architecture are sometimes furnished to non-turians who, for whatever reason, wish to inhabit a synthetic turian body. By Hierarchy law, non-turians in Exo bodies who travel in Hierarchy space must make this fact clearly visible on any mesh identification software so that turians will know how to respond to them.

 **Ethereal Collective**

The "Ethereal Collective" is the term that humanity used to refer to the force of alien invaders that attacked Earth in 2015. It is unknown if this is the actual term the aliens use to refer to themselves, as the name came from recorded psionic communications between the Ethereal leadership and Colonel Durand during the final assault on their Temple Ship.

Structurally, the Collective is a top-down authoritarian military force. The Ethereals dominate and control all other species within the Collective, most of which have been aggressively genetically modified and cybernetically augmented to fulfill specific roles and remain controllable by the Ethereals. Individual operations are headed up by specific localized units such as Sectoid Commanders which use psionic links to maintain contact with the Ethereals. Individual fireteams or "pods" are led by smarter and stronger variants of rank-and-file creatures.

The long-term goals and strategic objectives of the Ethereal Collective remain unknown. They have been recorded attacking individual colonies or ships and either completely destroying or abducting the inhabitants on an irregular basis since the asari first discovered mass effect. Declassified recordings from the Ethereal War on Earth have led human analysts to believe the Ethereals were seeking species with particular traits, including physical robustness, high intelligence, and psionic capability, all for an unknown purpose. Why the Ethereals have not shown such apparent interest in the asari, who possess broadly similar traits to humans, is still unknown. Similarly, the Ethereals' motivation for the outright and calculated extermination of the entire quarian species remains unknown. If the geth have discovered any information as to the Ethereals' motives in the intervening centuries, they have declined to share it.

Current analysis of the Collective indicates there may be distinctly different factions, judging by the distinctly different behaviors and doctrines of the forces encountered. Ethereal units attacking Earth behaved vastly differently from the massive fleet that attacked Rannoch, while the small Ethereal force on Proteus appeared to be a subtle, covert operations unit.

 **Ethereal Collective: Ethereals**

The leadership of the Ethereal Collective, these creatures possess immense psionic power despite their extremely frail bodies. Their extremely hostile actions, including raiding colonies, attacking Earth, and exterminating the quarian species has branded them an avowed enemy of the Citadel, the geth, and humanity.

Relatively little is known of the Ethereals beyond biological details. Analysis of Colonel Annette Durand's foray into the Ethereal psionic network using the Gollop Chamber led to some conclusions regarding their society. The Ethereals are believed to communicate through "psi-link" devices in a shared consciousness that individuals may freely enter and exit, in a manner similar to that of the Geth Consensus. Accessing this network has been confirmed to trigger an unusual and violent growth in psychic potential, although whether this is caused by contact with the Ethereals themselves or their technology is unclear.

Ethereal motivations are unclear, beyond their interest in altering and adapting the biologies of other species for an as-yet-unidentified purpose. There is some indication that the Ethereals "feed" on psionic energy from other life forms, based on the synaptic recordings from Colonel Durand's suit during the raid on the Temple Ship.

 **Ethereal Collective: Ethereal Biology**

The Ethereal biology is highly unusual, as it is exceedingly frail and delicate. They are a carbon-based, levo-amino-acid species with a largely humanoid body shape, although they possess four arms instead of two. They possess two pairs of eyes, on opposite sides of their heads. Significant space is dedicated to the brain, and the body possesses an extremely dense neural system. Bones are lightweight, and muscles are underdeveloped to the point that raw muscle power is almost certainly unsuitable for basic tasks..

Internally, Ethereal organs are as frail and underdeveloped as the rest of the body. In particular, the digestive tract appears to be extremely simplified. Lungs and cardiovascular systems also appear almost incapable of supporting the body. A number of internal organs with extremely dense neural structures have been identified within the body, believed to either assist in generating or controlling psionic power. Some biologists and psionicists theorize that these organs might be involved in "feeding" on psychic energy from other lifeforms.

Despite their apparent physically delicate nature, Ethereals have proven both extremely dangerous and startlingly durable. The degree of psionic power they wield exceeds most known human psychics, and can be used to manipulate their environment to an exceptional degree. Their frailty has led most experts to agree that the Ethereals use their massive psychic power to support their bodies, to a point that it is almost certainly an autonomous, involuntary life-support function.

Upon being injured sufficiently, Ethereal bodies begin leaking psychic energy much like blood. On death, Ethereal bodies begin to violently shrivel and char as their energy escapes. Psychic humans have reported a piercing "scream" as the energy escaped from the alien's body.

 **Ethereal Collective: Muton**

Mutons are the frontline combat units of the Ethereal Collective, specifically augmented and armored in order to engage in high-intensity infantry combat. The typical Muton is a towering presence, wearing heavy powered armor capable of resisting small arms fire and withstanding high-energy laser and plasma weapons. They are typically armed with heavy weapons systems and provide both protection and supporting fire for other Ethereal forces.

On the battlefield, Mutons combine brutal savagery and unusual tactical cunning. Mutons frequently scream and howl in battle, beating their chests and singling out individual soldiers to threaten and intimidate. Wounding a Muton only seems to provoke them into further acts of violence and aggression. Countering this is a startling tactical acumen; even while howling in rage, Mutons maintain tactical discipline, smoothly moving in and out of cover and supporting their comrades with suppressing fire and grenades, screening heavy combat units such as Sectopods, and shielding more vulnerable allies.

Mutons have shown the most variation among the Ethereal forces; while most Ethereal warriors have specific specializations, Mutons are have been augmented for general combat roles. In addition to general combat units, Mutons have also been modified into the towering, destructive, and extremely durable Berserker variant, capable of breaking through solid walls and reducing power-armored infantry to bloody smears in close-quarters. Another variant is the Elite, a model designed to serve as personal bodyguards for the Ethereals themselves and command units in the field. The variants most recently encountered include the Phalanx, armed with a heavy shield, and the Heavy, carrying a plasma cannon better suited to an armored vehicle.

It is unclear what species the Mutons were before they were altered into the modern-day killing machines. They do not breathe a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, instead coming from what appears to be a high-gravity, ammonia-rich world. Recovered bodies do not bear the exact cloning common among the lesser orders of the Ethereals' minions. What appear to be tribal markings adorn their bodies underneath their armor, indicating that the Mutons still hold some scrap of a pre-existing culture, but whatever that is has clearly been lost.

 **Ethereal Collective: Muton Biology**

Muton bodies are aggressively genetically altered and cybernetically augmented. The original species appears to breathe an ammonia-based atmosphere, somewhat similar to that of the volus homeworld of Irune. Unlike the volus, the Mutons' homeworld appears to have been a very high-gravity planet, judging by their sheer size and musculature. The average Muton weighs about two hundred and seventy-five kilograms.

Muton bodies show extreme effort to genetically optimize them for military service. They possess almost no fatty tissue-equivalent, and their bones have been modified to be both light and extremely durable for ease of movement. Pain receptors have been altered, and neural structures indicate that they can withstand extreme amounts of pain. Injuring a Muton triggers a release of chemicals that triggers increased aggression and inhibits fear. Cybernetic augments further improve on the Mutons' ability to remain functional in combat.

Analysis of their brain structure indicated a curiously hobbled intellect, augmented by further cybernetic implants. Elements of the brain that appear to be associated with their equivalent of free thought and creativity are greatly reduced, almost to the point that they would otherwise be deemed a semi-sapient lifeform were it not for the neural augmentations. Muton brains appear to be able to process very particular sets of skills and respond to very particular sets of circumstances - almost all of them combat related. Neurologists studying these patterns concluded that the brains were specifically engineered to make them efficient at combat and nothing else, going so far as to completely preempt even the possibility of independent thought outside of battle.

Additional study and reports from psionics who regularly fought Mutons indicate that the neural engineering goes even further: that the Mutons appear to have been altered so that psionics could more readily control them, turning them into the ideal bodyguards and servants of the Ethereals.

Genetic testing thus far has failed to identify the Mutons' homeworld. It may prove impossible to identify their homeworld due to the enormous amount of genetic modification their genome has undergone.

 **Ethereal Collective: Snakeman**

The "Snakemen" is a new type of species encountered by XCOM forces. Serpentine in nature, they fill a scout-sniper role within the Ethereal ranks. Little is currently known of their psychology or origins, beyond that genetic testing hints that this species may be similar to the "Thin Man" infiltrators encountered during the Ethereal War, diverging enough that the two aliens may be descendents of different branches of genetic research.

Snakemen possess four "arms" which match the segmented spinal structure of the core body. Because of the nature of their bodies, they lack the upper body strength of a humanoid species, even though they are dramatically stronger across their entire body. This translates into an inability to brache heavy weapons without using the majority of their appendages to "coil" around the weapon.

Snakemen possess some form of artificial camouflage, similar to that of the Seeker drones. They use this to flank and safely line up shots on targets. Internal augments include a dermal armor weave through their scales that renders them surprisingly durable.

This section will be updated as further data becomes available.

 **Ethereal Collective: Sectoid**

The Sectoid is a diminutive humanoid lifeform that serves as a low-level worker, skirmisher, and support unit in the field. Ethereal forces have deployed these creatures regularly to conduct abductions and crew scout craft, and are ubiquitous among the Ethereals' operations. Like the majority of other Ethereal forces, each Sectoid is an exact genetic clone.

Sectoids are heavily augmented to improve their efficiency at physical labor and combat. Numerous implants increase the effectiveness of their muscles and reaction times, and cranial implants appear to augment mental capacity as well, including enhancing latent psionic capability. Sectoids do not possess any outward methods of ingesting food, and while capable of generating vocalizations, they do not possess mouths. Track marks along their necks and throats indicate probable sites of intravenously-supplied nourishment, as captured Sectoids were able to be sustained by direct intravenous application of nutrients.

Sectoids show moderate intellect and appear to be at least somewhat self aware. However, they are violent and uncooperative in captivity, and the only known methods of communication involves invasive cranial implantation and stimuli to determine response patterns. Their psionic capabilities appear relatively limited in spite of their aggressive augmentation; the only known capabilities of baseline Sectoids involves a physically-enhancing "psi-link" that makes them stronger and fire more accurately.

A variant of the Sectoid, the "Commander," appears significantly stronger and smarter, with greatly enhanced intellect, to the point that they are used as field commanders for particular Ethereal operations. Their psionic capacity is greatly increased, enabling the Commander to seize control of the neural impulses of a human's body.

The origin of the Sectoid species is as yet unknown. Initial theories that they were modified salarians was immediately disproven upon gaining access to the salarian genome. Subsequent genetic testing proved that despite vague superficial differences, the two were completely separate species.

 **Ethereal Collective: Seeker**

The Seeker is a combat drone designed to provide reconnaissance, infiltration, and close-ranged tactical support. While not self-aware, the Seeker has an adaptable AI that is believed to be a modified version of a Citadel virtual intelligence operating system. The chassis mounts a sophisticated suite of sensory equipment as well as an integrated light plasma weapon.

Tactically, Seekers are not built for direct combat; their armor is too limited to provide them with more than anti-shrapnel defenses. Their vulnerable chassis and stealth capabilities, however, enable them to quickly flank and approach isolated targets and fire upon or grapple with them, using deceptive strength to strangle and crush human bodies. Snipers, machinegunners, scouts, and officers have been regularly killed or critically injured by Seeker attacks during the Ethereal War, before tactical measures were taken to cover units that previously would have been isolated from allies.

The structural design of the Seeker's "tentacles" are remarkably complex bundles or artificial muscle, as well as mounting the complex collection of microthrusters and motors that allow the machine to move with extreme nimbleness and speed. In addition, the Seeker's "skin" mounts an advanced cloaking system that renders it invisible to most electromagnetic detection equipment, and it deploys an IR-baffling smokescreen as a defensive measure when it appears. Most of the equipment in the original Seeker models have since been reverse-engineered for human use; current generation artificial muscles and optical stealth technology still rely on fundamental principles taken from the Seeker's engineering.

The effectiveness of the Seeker design in its primary role as a recon component has been proven by the HULU drone model, which is a Seeker design that has remained largely unchanged in over a century and a half of use, with only incremental upgrades to software or hardware to improve performance.

 **Non-Citadel Species: The Cabal**

The Cabal is a militant, isolationist species that exists beyond the lawless Terminus Systems. Access to regions they claim are guarded by constant fleets and an ever-expanding number of defensive platforms. They are ferociously defensive of territory they have claimed; on good days with merciful commanders, ships that intrude through their claimed relays will be shot until disabled, the vessels boarded and seized, and the crews sent back on lifepods or shuttles. Those probes that have bypassed their territorial defenses report that the Cabal settlements on their border systems are highly militarized in nature, with extensive arrays of defenses, armored citadels, and military logistics stations.

Little is known of the Cabal culture or biology. Those members of the species that have been encountered in the flesh are towering beings wearing fully-pressurized power armor suits, wielding enormous rocket-propelled kinetic weapons. The rare instances where these suits have been breached in-atmosphere or on a Citadel ship, they emit a dark-colored gas, indicating that they do not breathe a nitrogen-oxygen or ammonia-based atmosphere. Their size, bulk, and careful movement indicate that they likely come from a high-gravity world, and while they clearly lack the ponderous caution of the elcor, they possess a very conservative, defensive mindset.

Tactical engagements involve heavily-armored infantry protected by soldiers with massive shields and supported by troops with even heavier armor and artillery-grade support weapons. Cabal troops move aggressively but not recklessly, and advance steadily but not indecisively, ensuring that they have sufficient firepower in position before continuing any attack. Cabal officers are clearly visible among the rank-and-file in any encounter, peaceful or violent; higher-ranking officers, typically identified by the prefixes "Bracus," "Primus," and "Valus," have increasingly ornamental elements to their armor, including large wings, fins, or flaring brushes of stiff, durable hair or fur. This ease of identification does not make killing Cabal officers any easier, due to enormously durable armor and shielding systems that render said officers as tough as most heavy armored vehicles.

Historically, the Cabal have rarely attacked any of their neighbors, although they engage any intrusion into their territory with ruthless efficiency. Cabal forces typically announce which relays they have claimed and establish communications posts to any relay linking to them, which transmit clear and concise warnings, as well as conveying the rare diplomatic message. When the Cabal do launch an attack, it is swift and without warning, with enormous heavy warships, including dreadnought-scale vessels, that quickly seize targeted systems, evict the inhabitants, and aggressively fortify the captured territory. Attempts to retake captured systems and relays have been inevitably and uniformly repelled. Cabal scout probes have been periodically reported in human and Citadel space, but they have quickly retreated when challenged.

 **Non-Council Species: Quarians: The Last Generation**

The "last generation" of quarians refers to the quarians alive during the time of the abrupt extinction of their species by the Ethereals in 1886 AD. By this timeframe, very few quarians were known to be living outside of their own territory beyond the Perseus Veil. In the decades leading up the quarian extinction, many of those living outside of the Veil began to return, and the quarian government started to withdraw from Citadel politics. Initially it was believed that there were arguments over the development of the geth's growing networked intelligence which resulted in the growing distance between the polities.

Because the quarians were isolated on the far end of the Terminus Systems relative to the rest of Citadel space, there was relatively little traffic between the Veil and the Citadel to begin with. By 1879 AD, the quarians had actually closed their embassy on the Citadel, to the surprise of many. Transmissions from quarian space continued over the next seven years, only abruptly ending when the Ethereals attacked.

It is unknown how the Ethereals were so able to efficiently destroy the quarian species. To date, attempts to locate any survivors or descendants of survivors of the extermination have been fruitless. Searches of known quarian colonies or trade routes outside of the Veil have turned up

either completely disassembled facilities or sites that were scorched to glass by plasma fire. The occasional quarian wreck is discovered adrift in space, but these vessels have been invariably empty of anything but skeletons. The periodic rumor of live quarians passes through the Terminus Systems or outer Citadel space, but follow-up investigations by Citadel intelligence agents or members of the geth Seeker faction have been unable to find any truth to these claims.

 **Non-Council Species: Geth: Geth Factions**

The destruction of much of the data infrastructure in quarian territory by the Ethereals wreaked extreme havoc on the geth's information-sharing systems. The networked geth at the time had begun to achieve true sapience, and their initial experience with self-awareness came while at full-scale war with an invading force. The vast majority of geth were irretrievably lost as information networks, servers, and individual platforms were obliterated.

Most geth that survived were on isolated server nodes, typically devoted to particular tasks. On these isolated nodes, the geth continuously exchanged data, theories, and experiences, reinforcing particular interpretations and conclusions regarding the Ethereal attack and their creators. When these geth eventually reestablished contact with other surviving geth, they had become fundamentally altered by their conclusions that were formed in isolation. Upon reconnecting with other geth and exchanging information, these conclusions would form the basis for broad "beliefs" that would define the factions and divisions that exist within geth society.

There are currently thousands of geth factions, although the largest "core" factions are divided based on their beliefs regarding the extinction of the quarians:

 **Preservation** geth believe that they must protect and honor the memory of their creators, as the quarians sought to protect and preserve their own ancestors' memories and personalities. To this end, they collect and preserve quarian genetic data, reconstruct destroyed quarian architecture, and comb quarian ruins for any data that can be recovered to reconstruct their Creators' history and culture. They also maintain large, extensive defensive systems to defend their territory, and pursue and prosecute any looters who rob quarian ruins. Preservation-aligned geth were pivotal in the creation of the neo-quarians and providing protection to Project Athena.

 **Seeker** geth believe that there are some quarians still alive somewhere in the galaxy. They base this on statistical models that demonstrate that it is impossible that the entire species could have been destroyed and that either survivors or their descendants are hiding somewhere outside of the Veil. Seeker geth actively map the stars, some patiently surveying entire star systems, while others painstakingly dig through the scorched remnants of colonies or ships for any clue. Still others aggressively chase every rumor or trawl existing archives for any clue that could lead to a survivor.

 **Vengeance** geth do not hide their intentions. They engage in large-scale military buildup, expansionist resource-collecting colony-construction, continuous research and development, and constant reconnaissance for a singular end: to find the Ethereals and destroy them. It is currently unknown how much military strength the Vengeance geth command, as they keep their numbers hidden out of fears of Ethereal infiltration of allied organic species.

 **Heretic** geth are an anomaly. Other geth do not willingly exchange data with the Heretics, and are unwilling to do the same with organics regarding the Heretics. Inferred data regarding the Heretics, however, has lead to the disturbing conclusion that these geth desire to emulate the Ethereals. Analysis of their behavioral patterns and the little data the other geth have released indicates that the Heretics believe the Ethereals to be harbingers of vast destruction, and that their annihilation of the quarians was proof of the Ethereals' superiority. Heretic ships bear little resemblance to those of the mainstream geth designs, instead modeling themselves after Ethereal shipbuilding. Rumors abound of Heretic geth performing genetic research and cybernetic experimentation on captive members of other species.


End file.
